#alright enjoy the rest of the day y'all! happy weekend!

[taintedsoul-if]

Oh my naughty author.😝

do i really need to give reasons for that.it seems like you already know my reasons.

Give us more spices in game author and that thing is thrilling.🥶.i think that nsfw will be so much fun with mix of many emotions lust,exitment,need, addiction and thrill.it will surely increase flavour more.let's spice things up.i want to know more about her.please my dear and beautiful author.😇

NSFW content will be in the game. I am writing for a mature audience after all. At this moment in time there is no need for NSFW content.

90% of sex in a game is not worthwhile. World building. Characterized. Dialogue etc is needed in order to balance out everything.

I cannot just start my if and then immediately just jump into sex. That makes no sense whatsoever.

NSFW content will be added later on down in the if after the MC has gotten to know all ROs. I've seen alot of post asking about povs of other characters. Most people don't like foreshadowing that much so I won't be doing all that much of it. I want my readers to be puzzled. I want them to be at the edge of their seat wondering what's going to happen next.

Anon I am not writing an erotica. I am writing a story (IF).

This response might make you feel a bit dissatisfied but that is how it is. Readers want a story that will keep them immersed in the story. If I just write only smut in my if what is the point? It makes no sense.

Sometimes not everything is about sex. Sometimes the ROs and other characters wants someone to hold them and let them know that they're not alone. Anon I do apologize for the disappoint but this is just how it is.

As for Caitlyn.

These scenes will only be seen if readers actually dragged her off the cliff. (I already wrote her introduction pov.)

The body that she's in is married to someone powerful.

In this new World, she's once again someone's mother

[REDACTED] I won't spoil anything else.

Will Caitlyn change for the better? Or will she sabotage the pc when she finds out about their existence in this new World? Will she overcome her addiction or will it just beget more addiction? 🤭. Whose body did she transmigrate into? Aye the questions. But I can't answer them. Because I don't know either! Just a passer by. 🚶‍♀️

[ichigoromi]

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 | 𝐌𝐒𝐁𝐘 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 | 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

Chaotic vibes only!

Hope y'all enjoy reading!

Pairing (s): MSBY Four - Bokuto Koutarou, Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shoyo and Sakusa Kiyoomi x gn! reader

Genre: fluff!

Warning (s): None!

Enjoy!

Bokuto Koutarou

The grocery store is packed during the weekend, and the two of you are only free during the weekends to do your grocery shopping.

You knew that you would easily lose him during such busy days, so you insisted that he never let go of your hand.

Obviously, he is more than happy to hold your hand because he loves how big his hand is compared to yours.

You pushed the trolley around, filling it with fresh vegetables and fruits while he looks around the mart.

While you were busy choosing the watermelon, unknowingly, Bokuto decided to explore the supermarket on his own.

He just went to the snack aisle and got a few snacks and heads back to the fresh produce section, and you were not there.

Bokuto reached out to his pocket to find it empty.

His phone was with you, and you were nowhere to be found.

So, what does he do?

"The caretaker of Bokuto Koutarou, your child is currently at the customer service counter. Please come and pick him up." A loud announcement rang through the store, and you wanted to hide your face.

Everyone around you started whispering about the professional athlete Bokuto Koutarou really lost, or was it another child with the same name as him?

You asked a kind soul for you to help you look after your trolley while you went and go collect your lost child.

"Baby! You're here!" He ran up to you and threw his arms around, slightly lifting you up.

Your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and you apologised profusely to the receptionist at the counter while pulling your giant boyfriend away.

The young kid that was waiting with your trolley was excited when he saw Bokuto with you. He was a big fan of your boyfriend. You helped them take a picture, and he wraps his arms around you.

"That was so embarrassing...Kou, can you just hold onto my shirt and never let go?" He shook his head, and you tilt your head in confusion.

Did he want to get lost again?

"Nope, I'm going to hug you and never let you go!" He got behind you and wrapped his arms tightly around you.

Miya Atsumu

Normally, you did the grocery shopping alone since he is tired after training and doesn't drive.

So, the grocery shopping chore became yours.

He has a rest day and offered to pick up the groceries with you on this rare occasion.

It was a pleasant surprise, and you were glad to have a helping hand to help you.

You brought him to Costco, and it's going to be easy to lose him, a new-timer who has never been to Costco.

You warned him and told him to stay close to you and don't stray away from you.

He just nods his head and proceeds to ignore your warnings.

Atsumu was kind of upset that you were treating him like a child, but he overestimates himself.

Because within 15 minutes of entering the store, he has already lost you.

So, instead of calling you and asking where are you, he got another trolley and proceeded to do his own shopping.

Since you were busy with the shopping list, you didn't even notice your boyfriend was not following you anymore.

He was fascinated by the big store and got lots of stuff, ones that you two don't really need.

After a while, he realised that you have actually forgotten about him and literally went and did your own shopping.

When he was about to make a quick call to you, his phone died.

So, he went and paid for his stuff first and head to the customer service counter.

"Y/l/n Y/n, your child Miya Atsumu is currently at the customer service counter; please come and pick him up." Everyone heard it, so did you, but you continue your shopping.

This man, even after you warned him, still went and got separated from you.

So, you deliberately took your own sweet time and went a few rounds around a particular aisle.

You purposely lined up at the longest queue for your payment.

By the time you were done, he has been waiting with other lost kids for an hour or two.

"That was mean of ya! It was so embarrassing!" He buried his face in the crook of your neck; you awkwardly apologised to the cranky receptionist that was grumbling about how youngsters were so irresponsible.

Atsumu recounts his tale of how the lost kids there were laughing at an adult who got lost and has to be sent to the customer service, but he voluntary went himself.

"Serves you right. I told you to stick right next to me. Tsumu, why did you buy all of these? We have it at home..." You gaped at the amount of stuff that he bought.

"Really? I didn't see it. Oh well, it's just more stocks then." He grinned playfully, expecting you to laugh, but you let out a deep sigh.

"This is why I have a shopping list for a reason; it is so that we don't overbuy! Tsumu, you're such a hoarder!" He opened his mouth and tries to explain himself, but nothing came up.

You loop your arms around his neck and kisses his cheeks.

"It's fine; I can deliver some to Samu. Don't worry." You reassure him when you notice his crestfallen expression.

"Stop pouting. You did well today, but next time, just stick close to me?" He nods his head and you two head to your car.

Hinata Shoyo

It was all a small mistake that leads to you two in the current situation.

Hinata knows the danger of losing you in the grocery store because your purse has his phone and his wallet.

But he holds your hand tightly as you two entered the store.

At first, it was going well, there were not many people in the store, and you two were out on a date.

Until the sudden increase of patrons in the store.

Hinata was sure to hold your hand tightly, but you heard of some discount from the housewives nearby; you let go of him and head towards the frozen aisle.

Oh no, he is left alone, and there was nothing he could do.

His fans came up to him and asked for photos and autographs, so he stayed and interact with them, hoping that you would come back for him.

Yeah, you were definitely not going back to find him as you made friends with the housewives as they give you tips about discounts.

Even the butcher chatted with you for a while.

So, he went to the customer service counter and requested them to make an announcement.

"The guardian of Hinata Shoyo, please proceed to the customer service counter to pick up your child." That was when you realised that Hinata was no longer beside you.

You picked up the remaining items on the lists and head to the register to pay for the groceries. Gosh, you felt like an awful significant other, losing him and not realising earlier.

But, the new knowledge and tips that you've gotten might be worth it, just kidding.

You were going to make a delicious meal for him to make up for your mistake earlier.

He looked relieved when he saw you walking towards him.

"Sho-chan! I'm so sorry! I lost you and even forgot about you. Can you forgive me?" You apologised profusely, and he chuckles, seeing your guilty expression.

You buried your face into his chest, and he pats your head to tell you to not blame yourself. It was all good, but still, you felt awful.

"Let's go home. I have picked up some good cuts of beef; I'll cook a good meal for you!"

"Sure, let's go." He kisses the top of your head and you two head towards the parking lot.

Sakusa Kiyoomi

Alright, Sakusa would make the perfect housewife. He is good at household chores, cooking? He is the perfect husband in the making.

He does the grocery shopping, and you would stay at home.

But, you felt like accompanying him to the store, so he allowed you to follow him.

You were wearing one of his hoodies and a pair of black sweats, and he was wearing similar attire to you.

He made sure you held his hand since you were short and could easily blend into the crowd. (a/n - omi is just a giant.)

It's been a while since you came out shopping with him, and it was fun getting out once in a while.

You can't help but want to explore the supermarket on your own.

So, you went on your own; after all, you're a grown adult. Nothing bad would happen.

Right?

Oh ho ho, Sakusa turned around, and you were gone.

He starts to panic because you were not behind him, and he couldn't see you in the crowd.

Sakusa calls you and felt his left pocket buzzing.

It was your phone buzzing in his pocket.

He sighs and decided to finish his list before finding you.

Meanwhile, you had enough money for a popsicle, and you got your favourite flavour and head to the customer service counter.

"Excuse me, can you please make a lost child announcement?" The receptionist immediately sat up in her seat and apologised for not noticing you earlier.

"Where's the lost child?" You pointed at yourself. She nodded her head blankly.

"Yeah, Sakusa Kiyoomi is my guardian. Thank you." This whole situation was bizarre, but she made the announcement for you anyways.

"Sakusa Kiyoomi, your child is at the customer service counter; please come and pick up your lost child."

You were literally chatting with the receptionist when he rushed over to the customer service counter. He sighed, relieved that you were safe. He apologised for the inconvenience he caused.

"You got me worried. Just stay at home, okay?" He kisses your forehead. You shook your head.

"Nope! I'm coming with you from now on!"

Oooh, my first headcanon where I did four characters at once! It was quite fun and I might write more of these in the future!

I hope y'all enjoy this!

Stay safe and healthy!

With love,

Rosalie🍓

[thebookwormfairy]

Captain the Retired Police Dog Part 4

Back by popular demand here's Part 4. I just want to thank everybody for reading this. Also Shout out to all the Mummy fans and Maribat discord users thank y'all for hyping me up!

The next morning Damain met Marinette and Captain bright and early 

He was determined to make this day one of the best in Marinette’s life

He was so excited that he didn’t notice his brothers’ strange facsination with his plans

Jason:  So what’s your plan for today? How are you going to top last night’s  movie marthon?

Damain: Not that it’s any of your business, but Marinette, Captain, and I are going to the park where she met me as Damain, then the botanical gardens, and then we’re going to explore the city some more.

Dick:  Not bringing Titus with you this time, Baby Bird?

Damain:  He’s still exsahuted from the late night last night.

Bruce *drinking coffee*:  You should bring Ace with you then.  She needs a day out.

Ace who’s been sitting at Bruce’s feet shot her head up to look at him

Like she really wanted to be stuck with two love stuck teenagers and Titus’ friend

Damain:  Not a bad idea father.  Come on girl let’s head out

Ace just rolled her eyes but went with Damain either way 

 At worst she’ll get some exercise and out of the manor

At best she’ll make a new friend

Once Damain and Ace were out of the house and the other Wayne boys got to work

Dick: Alright men we can do this, all we have to do is decide when to ambush the happy couple.

Jason: I say we do it right when Demon Spawn picks up his Angel

Tim: No too dangerous.  He’ll spot us before she even gets out of her hotel

Dick: What about after the botanical gardens?  We can trail them from a distance until they get in the building then all we have to do is wait outside until they come out.

Jason: GENIUS! And there’s no way for him to avoid us.  

Alfred:  Don’t you have jobs to do

Dick:  We’re pulling a Bruce

Bruce glared at his 3 boys unamused 

Bruce: Just make sure to get plenty of pictures

Jason *saluting*:  Will do

With that the 3 adopted Waynes ran out to inact their plan

Alfred:  Are you sure this is wise sir?

Bruce: If they don’t push Damain we may never meet Marinette

In the hotel Marinette was getting ready for her date with Damain

Tikki: Don’t over think it too much Marinette, Damain really likes you I can tell.

Marinette:  I know Tikki, but I can’t help but be nervous.  What if I do something wrong and he never wants to see me again?

Tikki:  That’s just Lila getting into your head don’t let her.  You are one of the greatest ladybugs I have the priviledge of working with.  Anybody would be lucky to have you as a friend or a romantic partner

Marinette: Thanks Tikki. Your right like always.

Marinette head her phone ding with a notification

Marinette: It's Damian he's waiting for us in the lobby let's go Captain

Down in the lobby Damian was getting a taste of Lila

Lila was holding trying to get a hold of Damian's arm, but Ace was doing a good job at keeping the annoying girl at a distance

Lila: Oh what a beautiful dog. You know I do a lot of volunteer work in animal shelters with Damian Wayne. You know Dami's such an animal lover

Alya: Oh really Lila that's so giving of you.

Damian: You know Damian Wayne?

Lila: I know not many people know. But you probably think the worst of me thanks to Marinette. She's so cruel to me for no reason

Lila started to pretend cry making Alya and the rest of her sheep flock to comfort the "distressed" girl

Damian was in disbelief about how gullible Marinette's class seemed to be.

He was a little relieved to see that some of the class didn't see it buy it.

A blonde girl, pink hair girl, and Asian boy stood at a distance and just rolled their eyes

Chloe, Alix, and Kim have been disillusioned to Lila's lies

Chloe new from the very beginning just didn't see a reason to say anything

Alix and Kim found out over time, they felt like it was too late to do anything and feared ending up like Marinette

So they are biding their time waiting for the best time to exposed Lila

Damian was happy that they didn't fall for this girl's lies, but not so happy that they didn't speak up

Lila tried once again to grab onto Damian's arm, but Ace being the good girl she is growled a little at Lila who once again jumped back

Damian: Sorry about that Ace isn't good with sudden movements. As for Marinette she actually hasn't mentioned you. The only she she told me about anybody in her class was that she was here with them. She does speak a lot about her friends Luka and Kagami though

Lila was surprised she was sure she could use Marinette's whining against her

Lila: Oh how rude of Marinette-

Damian: Actually I don't see anything rude about not mentioning somebody who clearly wants to but her down.

At this point Marinette and Captain walked into the Lobby

Damian: Hey Angel

Damian pulled Marinette into a side hug and giving her a kiss to the side of her head being careful to keep the two dogs at a distance for now

Marinette *giggling*: Hey Damian. Who's this

Marinette looked down at the German Sheperd connected to Damian

Damian: This is Ace. Titus was still tired from last night and I didn't want Captain to get lonely and she could use a day out

Marinette: Well hello Ace

Marinette bent down slightly and let Ace sniff her hand

Ace gave her hand a little sniff, she decided to let the girl give her a pet

Not to mention Ace could sense that she was a lot better then that sausage hair girl

Marinette gave Ace a nice little head rub

Marinette: Well aren't you a pretty girl

Lila seethed in her place she tried to get that stupid dog to let her pet it 10 times, and Marinette just has to let it sniff her hand and it'll let her touch it

Damian: Come on Marinette I got a big day planned for us

Damian wrapped his arm around Marinette shoulder leading Marinette and their dogs out of the hotel, but he stopped right before the door

Damian: And Lila maybe you should make sure you know what a person looks like before you lie about them. I would suggest you look up what Damian Wayne looks like.

With that Damian, Marinette, and the 2 dogs left the hotel

Alix intrigued by Marinette's mysterious boys comment looked up Damian Wayne and burst out laughing

The others in the lobby looked at the pink hair girl in confusion

Alix: No wonder he warned you about looking people up.

Alix showed the picture on her phone to her classmates

Kim: Omg he was Damian Wayne!

Lila faced grew red and quickly tried to cover her tracks

Lila: Oh I must have gotten him confused with someone else. Haha you know I meet with soo many people

Lila's sheep laughed with her, but Lila could sense that she lost a little bit of her hold on them with that slip up

At the park

Marinette: You didn't have to do that Damian?

Damian: And why wouldn't I Angel. She tried to threaten you and she was stupid enough to try and use me to impress ME she deserved to be called out a bit.

Marinette and Damian kept talking while Captain and Ace got to know eachother

Captain had to admit he was a bit smittened by this German sheperd

She looked gorgeous and had a good head on her shoulders

But most importantly he could tell she loved her humans just as much as he loved his

Ace: So you really us to be a police dog?

Captain trying to impress Ace: Yep and I still remember all my training. My girl and I run through courses on the weekends to keep it up, but enough about me tell me about you.

Ace in a bit of a flirty tone: Well I don't mean to brag, but me and my humans go through a lot of training too. I actually have a couple of humans. Though inhave to admit my favorite one is the leader of the pack. He's called Alfred. I didn't have the best puppy hood. Alfred's pup, Bruce, found me and helped other people take me to a shelter. Alfresco came a couple of days later and picked me up. He helped me overcome my past and convinced Bruce to keep me. Now I have a pretty cushy life.

Captain: I can relate to that.

Marinette watched as her big tough retired police dog cuddle with Ace. She could already tell her boy was starting to fall for Ace.

Captain laid his head over Ace's and Marinette couldn't help but aww

Damian wrapping his arm around Marinette as they sit under a tree: What's on your mind Mari?

Marinette: It seems like Captain had fallen for Ace

Damian: I'd have to agree with that and it looks to me like the feelings mutual

The two couples stayed in the park for 2 hours alternating playing and cuddling

Damian: You're going to love this next stop Angel

Marinette: Where are we going?

Damian: You'll see when we get there. Don't you trust me?

Marinette with a small smile: Yes

Once they got to the botanical gardens Marinette loved it!

All the flowers and planets gave her plenty of inspiration and Damian let her stop and draw as much as she wanted without getting impatient or annoyed

He even commented and gave feed back and suggestions to some of Marinette's designs

Damian was just enjoying watching Marinette's face throughout the whole experience.

Her face was so open and showed every emotion that she felt and Damian just couldn't turn away

The dogs also had a great time getting to see new sights and smells.

But in Damian's opinion all that was ruined when they walked outside and saw his brothers

Jason: Hey Demon Spawn

Bonus

Dick: Omg they're both cuddling hurry get a pictur!!!

Jason watching Damianwalk out with his arm around Marinette: Damn I didn't know demon spaw could be so smooth. Hurry get a picture

Tim: Look at them playing with the dogs! Hurry get a picture

Both Dick and Jason gave him a weird look

Tim: Oh right I'm holding the camera.

Okay I can feel y'alls annoyance with the cliffhanger, sorry.

Tags

@felicityroth @northernbluetongue

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 4

I post a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

Warning: implied smut

Word Count: 4,806

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

-------------------------------------

CHAPTER FOUR

“If you two don’t stop eye fucking I’m gonna have to call HR,” Andy whispered with a smile in Zoey’s ear, hip checking her as he passed.

Zoey forced her eyes off of Brett from the other side of the bar and felt around her chin to make sure she hadn’t drooled. Two weeks had passed since they had slept together and the sexual tension between them only seemed to grow. Flirting only barely seemed to get her by and Andy consistently pointed out that she was staring again.

“Why don’t you just fuck in the storage room and be done with it? Y'all are making me horny just looking at you two,” Andy dumped ice into a shaker and started mixing a drink for a patron.

Zoey finished weighing out the last of the liquor for inventory and looked at him incredulously, “Why would you put that in my head? Do you think anyone would notice?”

Andy stopped what he was doing and stared at her in disbelief before rolling his eyes dramatically and finished the cocktail. She had gotten her set schedule after the first week, having the same schedule as Andy and work overlapping typically by the second half of Brett’s shift, except Mondays. Mondays were her only early shift day with Brett, ending at 9 PM, and were usually slow, so the night seemed to drag. Luckily, with her new schedule she’d be off Tuesdays and Wednesdays and she works late shift the rest of the week which means more patrons and more tips. And since she worked at a high end bar, most people tended to tip really well. A little cleavage helped, too.

The only downside to working nights was that no one was really home during the day. The only time the girls had was around dinner to catch up and chat, and they had weekends during the day time if no one made plans. But, Aurora’s been really busy with photo and video shoots, interviews, and meetings, and even though Nancy didn’t work a typical nine to five office job, she was still really busy piecing her work together in her room or out of the apartment for a meeting or to prepare fo some kind of deadline with her manager. 

Luckily, her hours matched up with Harry’s schedule pretty well, even though he was on the other side of the country. At night, he obviously had a show to perform, usually while Zoey was at work, but the rest of his day typically consisted of either traveling, small meetings with his tour team, rehearsing, or all three. Still, he always found time to respond to her texts.

Their friendship was strange because they’ve only known each other for two weeks (three if you count the one day they spoke when she first moved in), but it feels like it’s been much longer. She often had to remind herself that he doesn’t know her family and never met Michael, Katie, or Jess whenever they talk about her home life, which was often.

At least once a day, without fail, Harry would ask her to tell him more about Jess, or a memory that she was fond of growing up. The questions always came at the perfect time and he seemed genuinely interested to hear what she had to say, engaging in the conversation. It helped Zoey to talk about Jess - it made her feel as though her best friend’s memory wasn’t fading. That someone cared enough to learn and talk about her in a positive way.

A brief phone call with her family made her realize this when her mom started crying that she missed Zoey and compared her daughter moving across the country to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis losing their daughter in a car accident; that she doesn’t get to see her anymore. Zoey knew she didn’t mean for it to be so insensitive, but her mom got an earful after that. 

During a text conversation with her little sister, Katie, Zoey was filling her in on her outings with her new friends and a simple ‘you deserve to have nice friends again. Jess would have wanted it. I’m happy for you.’ made her bawl, though she’d never tell Katie that. Instead, she ran to Harry to talk about it.

She noticed during one of their chats the week prior that Harry was the only person she’d talk to about Jess without crying. And to prove her point, she had a quick catch up with Michael, and just the memory of the three of them together made her get emotional. It could have been because Harry didn’t know her personally, or because he’s been through similar situations, but she was grateful for the opportunity to involve Jess in a conversation without sobbing by the end of it. 

Herself and Harry had started doing this thing where every time they were being hard on themselves or feeling particularly down, they’d send each other a GIF, video link, or text of a random quote from ‘The Princess Bride’, which always seemed to keep them in check.

Brett started making his way over to her and she hastily got back to work, having some banter with a few of her regulars and grabbing them another glass of beer when she felt a firm hand on her lower back. She drew her attention upwards to Brett who grinned at the men and charmingly joked, “Hello, men. Zoey treating you alright?”

“As always,” they nodded, holding up their newly filled glasses, “She’s our favorite server here.”

“They’re only saying that because I give them beer and let them talk shit,” Zoey smiled at them, shooting them a friendly wink.

“See what I mean? Can’t ask for much else,” one of the men laughed.

Andy overheard the conversation and in passing added a, “she’s just an angel, isn’t she?”

But the men must not have picked up on the sarcasm because they responded, “Yes, she is! Makes no sense why you’re single.”

“Relationships?” Zoey fed into them, “No way. I just got out of a four year relationship. I don’t need to be trapped again so soon.”

It’s not that she didn’t enjoy her relationship with Michael. She did, and he was a lovely guy. It was just her way of communicating with her patrons; by mirroring and matching. It’s how she was able to bond and build relationships so quickly, especially with her regulars. These two in particular loved to talk shit on their wives, so Zoey found ways to add to the conversation without antagonizing the subject. And her favorite trick when having these conversations was to turn their mindset around before they left. Little things to make them ease up on their spouse. Something along the lines of ‘That’s a nice shirt. Did your wife get it for you? She’s got great taste, you look amazing in that!’ or ‘Your wife made you spaghetti for dinner? Lucky guy, I don’t know many women who know how to cook anymore’. Usually little white lies like that made them feel better about their wives without her actually having to say ‘shut the hell up and be nice to your wife, you old dingbat’ and she usually got better tips by the time they left.

The men raised their glasses in agreement to her statement and Brett turned his head to the side, wordlessly asking if he could borrow her for a moment. They stepped towards the back of the bar, doing a quick once over to make sure Andy didn’t need more assistance before he leant against the edge of the counter cooly and asked, “Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yeah. Your shift ends at 9 PM, too, right?” she asked, earning a nod. She continued, “Okay, everyone else will probably take a little longer to get there. Jake and Melissa are gonna be picking up some food, and Andy left a few things at his apartment he needed to grab. So you can always head over with me after work, or meet me there later.”

Nancy had flown back home over the weekend to celebrate her friend’s wedding and spend time with family, and Aurora had gone to Virginia for a shoot where Harry was coincidentally doing a show in the town over which allowed her an opportunity to see him in concert and spend some time with him before he left for the next city in the morning, so Zoey used the empty condo as an opportunity to invite some new friends over for a game night, with her roommates knowledge, of course. All of her friends worked with her on rotating days, so they were used to the hours.

“I’ll just go with you. It’ll be easier that way,” he said casually before his lips twitched upwards, “You know, if you wanted alone time with me, all you had to do was ask.”

“Shut up,” Zoey giggled, playfully hitting his chest.

The rest of their shift steadily got more quiet, slowing out to only six patrons in the bar by the time their shift was over. Andy, Brett, and Zoey clocked out and headed towards the employee parking lot around back. 

“I’ll call you when I’m five minutes away. You better not miss my call to let me in ‘cuz y’all are busy humpin’ on the kitchen counter,” Andy shook a key at them with an eyebrow raised, causing the two to laugh.

“I don’t screw where the food goes,” Brett responded, “but the couch is a different story.”

“Nasty,” Andy scrunched his nose at them before getting in his car and starting it up.

Zoey led Brett to her car, slipping into the driver's seat as he rounded to the passenger side. A few stray hairs had fallen from her messy ponytail and she smoothed them back, turning the AC on low fan. Evenings in May seemed to be fairly cool in LA so far. The stereo bluetooth automatically connected to Zoey’s phone and began playing ‘Are You Bored Yet’ by Wallows, which startled her, quickly turning down the volume. Being in such a confined space with Brett made her nervous. He had a distinct smell of beer and coconuts, which seemed like an odd mix, but somehow it worked. She could really stand a few shots right now to ease the tension. Too bad she was driving.

“So what’s the deal with your roommates? They out?” Brett asked as they pulled onto the freeway.

“Yeah, Nancy’s with her family and Rory is in Virginia for work. She might actually be with Harry right now, though,” she noticed the time, doing quick math and realizing it was Midnight on the east coast and Harry was probably done with his show by now, remembering he said he had some kind of after party planned with a few of his band mates and tour members, which she thought was weird for a Monday night.

“Wild that you’re all friends with him. But it seems like everyone knows everyone in LA, so I shouldn’t be surprised. So what’s his deal? Are they dating?”

When he put it that way, she did find it a little crazy. She never put too much thought into the fact that she knew Harry Styles, let alone was on a friendly communicating basis with him. She supposed it was just because of the timing when they met, she wasn’t in the right headspace, so by the time they started getting close, the shock and exposure to him had already sunk in and didn’t seem new.

“Uh...kinda? I don’t know, it’s complicated,” Zoey responded. 

And it was true. She honestly had no clue what was going on between Harry and Rory. Honestly, she didn’t even think they knew what was going on with each other. She couldn’t blame them, though. They were both super busy at the moment and their hangout today would only make it a total of five times they’ve seen each other in person. She wasn’t even sure if they had an actual date yet or not.

Brett nodded and a moment of silence filled the car. She felt him staring at her and he shifted his body towards her letting his elbow rest on the center console, his muscular arms so big that they lightly brushed against hers. She did a triple take, the pull of his gaze too strong to ignore, “What?” she asked, putting a hand on her cheek to conceal her blushing.

“You should go on a date with me.”

“What?” she sputtered. He was so straightforward and his confidence in his statement took her off guard. Brett was about to repeat himself when it clicked and she said, “I can’t go on a date with you.”

“Why not? Was I that bad in bed?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” she joked. Brett gasped in mock disappointment and she continued, shaking her head, “We work together. I don’t want things to get sticky at work. Besides, I was serious with what I said tonight. I just got out of a four year relationship. I’m not ready to jump into another one right now. Especially not the first guy I sleep with.”

“It’s a date, Zoey. Not a marriage proposal. We can keep it casual if you want. I just like spending time with you, that’s all. Please? Just one date.”

Zoey paused in contemplation. The idea of keeping things casual with Brett did sound appealing. It reminded her of Nancy and Cade’s situation, almost like a friend’s with benefits. No strings attached. She wasn’t opposed to it. If only Jess were here right now to see a sexy Australian man begging to go on a date with her. Twenty five years in Pennsylvania and she barely turned heads, but a week in LA and she’s getting hit on daily by successful, attractive men and her sexy foreign coworker? The move and personality upgrade was really working out for her and she was kicking herself for not listening to Jess sooner.

“I don’t know...”

“If it’ll make you feel more comfortable we can do a double date with someone. Andy and whoever. Or even Rory and Harry. Whoever you want.”

Zoey pursed her lips in contemplation, “Okay, I’ll think about it.” He smiled widely and Zoey quickly added, “Don’t get your hopes up. I haven’t said yes yet.”

“Good enough for me,” Brett said, a smirk spreading across his face, “So what are the odds of me getting you back in that bed tonight?”

“Slim to none,” she snorted.

“...So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

Once at her condo, Brett took a seat at one end of the sectional while Zoey quickly straightened up and drug out a few games from Nancy’s stash, with her blessing. It didn’t take long for Jake and Melissa to show up with a few two liters of soda, three boxes of pizza, and some wings for everyone to enjoy, and as soon as Andy arrived, twenty minutes later, they all dug in while catching up and joking about different work related instances.

They were in the middle of trying to decide if they wanted to play ‘5 Second Rule’ or ‘Incoherent’ when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She struggled to pull it out of her tight black pants and saw a text from Harry. Opening it, she saw a GIF of Princess Bride with the quote that read ‘Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something’.

Zoey snorted, typing back, ‘Okay, melodramatic. What happened? Didn’t get a big enough crowd at the concert tonight?’

She placed her phone face down on her thigh and laughed at Andy who was mocking Brett’s accent because he didn’t want to play ‘5 Second Rule’, which Brett was fighting hard for, listing all the pros and cons to the game. Her phone buzzed again, once, twice, and on the third buzz she got confused, thinking he was sending her rapid texts at first, only to turn the phone over and see that Harry was calling her. She hadn’t expected a call from him, and they never spoke over the phone with each other before like he did with Nancy and Rory. Her friends realized she had gotten a phone call and turned to look at her as she stood up.

“One sec,” she called, heading down the hall.

“Hurry! I need you to back me up so we don’t have to start out with this stressful, dumbass game!” Andy called after her.

She heard Brett quickly retort, “You just don’t like it cuz you can’t think quickly!” and a cracking noise that sounded almost like a slap before slipping into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Warily, she answered the phone and whispered, “Hello?”

Harry’s deep, exhausted voice sounded through her phone, dramatically quoting another line from Princess Bride, saying, “Fezzik! Listen! Do you hear? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when Rugen slaughtered my father.”

She laughed, pacing the length of her room, her brief feeling of shock being replaced with curiosity. “What could possibly have gone wrong at…” she checked the clock and quickly converted the time difference on the east coast, “Almost 2 AM? Where’s Rory?”

Harry groaned, “We got into a fight.”

“Well...did you do something stupid?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal at first, but it turned into one apparently.”

The more he spoke and the more she heard his voice, the more it started to hit her who she was talking to. She wasn’t a huge follower of his, but she was a fan enough to have heard him speak in videos and interviews that to be able to have these kinds of conversations with him and it be normal knowing that they were friends was hard to wrap her head around. Even so, hearing his voice over her phone wasn’t as startling as she thought it should be. In fact, it felt more calming than anything else.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Well, after the show, Rory came backstage and I was introducing her to some people and said, ‘This is my friend, Rory’....”

“....Okay?” Zoey urged, waiting for him to continue. But he didn’t.

“See?! It wasn’t a big deal! But she got upset that I called her my friend and was being sort of quiet and when I asked if she was okay she just kind of went off asking me how I could introduce her as a friend after we just had sex and after I flew out to see her twice, and accused me of leading her on and all this stuff.”

Zoey listened, continuing to pace the room as Harry ranted. When he finished, she cleared her throat and spoke carefully, “Well...Harry, she’s not entirely wrong.”

“You think I was leading her on?!” Harry sounded more hurt than offended. “I just introduced her as my friend and she got mad. I wasn’t lying. She’s not my girlfriend. What else was I supposed to say?”

“Exactly. She’s not your girlfriend. And who’s fault is that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look, you know she likes you. And you obviously like her, too. I mean why else would you fly across the country to spend one day with a person…”

“I do it all the time,” he defended himself.

“Okay, Mr. Perfect. The point is, you two already act like a couple. You talk almost every day. You’re not seeing anyone else but each other - at least, as far as I’m aware. Don’t you think it’s possible that she’s been waiting for you to ask her out and make it official, and by you introducing her as a ‘friend’, you could have just invalidated her entire impression of your relationship and where it was headed?”

Harry sighed, and after a moment to process he breathed, “I didn’t mean to invalidate her feelings. And it’s not like I don’t want to date Rory. We talk all the time, yeah, but I still don’t know her that well and I didn’t ask her to not see anyone else. We haven’t even been on a date yet. Plus, I just don’t want to start a relationship in the middle of tour when I have two months left. I’ve been doing this enough to know that travel can really hurt a relationship. Most people can’t deal with the distance and time restraints. Maybe if she’s still interested by the time the tour is over, then we can maybe talk about making things official. I’m just not ready yet.”

“Trust me, I get it. But did you tell her that?”

“No.”

“Well you need to tell her something so she doesn’t feel like she’s wasting her time. Don’t just leave her hanging like that.”

“I can’t ask her to wait for me. That’s not right. I want her to do it because she wants to, not because I’m dangling the promise of a possibility over her head.”

Zoey pursed her lips, understanding what he was saying while rummaging through her dresser for pajamas to change into, “Just tell her that you’re sorry and you understand where she’s coming from, but that you don’t want to rush things, especially while you’re in the middle of touring, and if she’s okay with it, the two of you can just take things one day at a time and you just want to get to know her more for now. Just be honest with her, Harry. Give her the benefit of the doubt. She’s a very understanding person.”

“Yeah, you’re right. That sounds good,” Harry responded, the words clicking in his head.

A knock on the door startled her and Andy’s muffled voice echoed through the crack, “I got them to agree on ‘Incoherent’ first, so hurry the hell up!”

“Be right there!” Zoey called back.

A gasp was heard from her phone as Harry muttered, “Shit! I forgot you were doing game night tonight. I’m so sorry for interrupting.”

“It’s fine. It only just started. There’s not many of us.”

“Is Theo there?” Harry quipped, the nickname Harry gave Brett made her laugh. Ever since he mentioned that Brett looked like Theo James from Divergent, she wasn’t able to unsee it.

“Yeah, he’s here,” she giggled, quickly changing out of her work clothes and into some sweats, fixing her ponytail.

“What’s going on with you two anyway?” Harry asked, “Are you dating, or just flirting still?”

“Funny you should mention that. He asked me on a date earlier.”

“Really? You gonna go?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t want anything serious right now, but he says we can keep it casual.”

“So...friends with benefits?” Harry pressed.

“That’s why I’m not sure. I don’t know how I feel about it, especially with someone I work with. But it’s only one date. I guess I could see how it goes. He did say that we could go on a double date if I’d feel more comfortable and suggested you and Rory. But I know your schedule’s gotta be insane with the tour and you’ve already flown back enough times.”

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m actually off for three days next week. I had plans Tuesday morning, but I could probably fly out right afterwards and head back Thursday. So maybe Wednesday night we could all go out?”

“Really? You don’t have to if it’ll be too much for you.”

“No, I want to. I told you, I do it all the time. My team will hate me, but oh well. It’ll be fun. I should probably go fix things with Rory first, though.”

Zoey laughed, “Good idea. Good luck.”

They each said goodbye and Zoey threw her phone on the charger before making her way back out to the living room. She took her spot back next to Andy and she smiled, excited to start the game with her friends. She felt proud of herself as she took in the scene, seeing her small group of friends laughing and joking together. She felt like she was finally starting to build the life she always wanted for herself. She never had this many people who she genuinely cared for and that cared for her in return. Sure, she had Jess and Michael, but that was really it. Zoey was finally creating a little family away from her family and it felt good.

After a few more games, everyone was beginning to get tired so the group decided to settle down with a movie. Zoey had dozed off, her head resting on Andy’s lap with her body curled into a ball. When she stirred awake it was nearly 3 AM and she noticed everyone else had passed out. Brett was in the corner and Jake and Melissa were cuddling on the other end. Her mouth was dry and tasted of cotton. Carefully, trying not to wake Andy, she slipped off of the couch and tiptoed towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

The blue light on the fridge dispenser illuminated as a steady stream of water poured into her glass. It looked so clear and refreshing that her mouth started salivating at the thought of it when she heard a shuffle behind her. She jumped, turning to see Brett padding his way in, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Jesus!” she clutched her chest again. How was she so easily scared?

He ignored her shock. “Can I have one?”

Zoey passed him the glass she had just poured and grabbed another glass for herself, filling it up with water. Brett gulped it down and let out a breath of air when he finished it before she had even raised her cup to her lips. She raised an eyebrow, sipping at the water.

“Tonight was fun, huh?” he asked in a low voice, leaning against the counter.

Zoey nodded, putting her half drunk glass of water down, “Yeah, thanks for coming.”

“We should do game nights more often. Nancy and Rory can join next time, too.”

“They’d love that,” Zoey agreed, taking another sip of water.

After a moment of silence, Brett spoke up again, “So...have time to think about that date yet?”

The water went down the wrong pipe and she struggled trying not to make a scene of choking, holding it in. But her eyes water as she spoke, “Yeah, uhm,” she caved and cleared her throat, continuing, “Yeah, I actually talked to Harry. He’s the one that called earlier, and he said he was down to do a double date next Wednesday, if that’s okay.”

It was hard to look at Brett when he smirked like that. He must have pulled so many girls by that look. Actually, she KNEW he pulled so many girls by that look from the amount of numbers he got at the bar. And honestly, she didn’t mind. It’s not like she saw a future with him. But he was hot and she trusted Brett enough to have a little fun with him.

Jess’ words kept replaying in her mind, again. ‘It’s fun not having strings attached’ and ‘Have fun, but be safe.’ Zoey thought about those exact words every day since she last had sex with Brett and how right her friend was. It’s not that she needed to have sex, but the liberation she felt by just being able to have sex with who she wanted and when she wanted was something so incredibly exhilarating and indescribable. She knew that a commitment was never a requirement to have sex, and she was reminded of this often by Jess, but it took her best friend dying and her moving across the country to really understand that. And to see Nancy, her kind, fun, carefree roommate, doing what she wanted to do and not worrying about what others might think really broadened her outlook on sex and intimacy.

Brett’s mouth was moving, and she knew he was talking, but Zoey couldn’t hear a damn thing. All she could pay attention to was his dark, mysterious eyes and his juicy, plump lips and how badly she wanted to taste them. Fuck it, she thought, grabbing him by the shirt and standing on her tiptoes to smash her lips onto his. He flinched, shocked by her abruptness, but quickly pulled her closer to his solid chest. When she finally pushed away from him, her heart pounded and her lips were already damp from his. Zoey could feel her body tingling from her knees up to her eyes as she craved someone, anyone’s touch. Brett could be enough for now.  

“Let’s go,” she urged, looking up at him through her eyelashes. 

Still stunned and unable to find the words to say, Brett nodded, mouth still agap, as she led him towards her bedroom.

KEEP READING

Let Me Know What You Think

[13unknownmind]

94. You’re an idiot. I married an idiot.

This is one of my favorite 'prompts' and I am so ready for this.

DinahSiren Powerless - Highshool sweethearts AU

They met on the first day of Middle school...

Walking through the hall with her schedule Dinah looks between the paper and the numbers by the doors.

Just as she rounds a corner she crashes to the ground along with what... Or should be said who she collided with saying "I am so so sorry!" Picking up her books and schedule.

"It's fine..." The person she ran into says with a sigh picking up her book and schedule as well.

Offering her hand Dinah asks "Are you alright?" Finally getting a good look at the person she knocked over.

A paleish skinned, slightly angry girl with short sideswepted hair and a reflectively well kept leather jacket.

"Yeah I'm fine... Just gotta run to English before I get detention..." Then starts walking the other way.

Dinah thinks for a short moment and calls "Hey!" Then jogs toward the short haired girl and says "I have English first period as well... Maybe you could help me find it?" Asking the last part with a hopeful voice.

With a slightly bored look on her face the short hair girl says "Sure, come on" gesturing down the next hall.

Reaching her hand over Dinah reaches over and says "My name's Dinah by the way." With a smile.

Taking Dinah's hand with an odd look the short hair girl says "My name is also Dinah... But you can call me Laurel."

_______________

On their last day of sophomore year Dinah finally asked Laurel to go out with her after six solid months of fearing losing her as her friend and Laurel simply said "You couldn't have waited a weekend?" With a smile on her face.

Dinah looks at Laurel with an odd look so Laurel clarifies saying "I was waiting for the Zoo to be open so I could take you to see the Tigers and ask you to..." Dinah looks at her with an encouraging smile so Laurel continues saying "Ask you something like 'I hope this isn't an ambush but would you be my girlfriend?' or something cheesey like that." And Dinah smiles so wide Laurel melts.

Tackling Laurel in a hug "You were gonna ask me to be your girlfriend with a Tiger pun‽" Dinah says unable to stop smiling.

_______________

At the start of their Freshman year in college Dinah and Laurel rent an apartment with their friends Renee and Curtis.

Cuddled together on the large sectional Dinah and Laurel are talking over their schedule's and Laurel finally says "I'm just glad we only have two classes apart so I don't have to wait all day to see you." With a bright smile.

Dinah leans on Laurels shoulder and sighs contentedly saying "And we can have lunch right after Professor Grandstins cause we have a free couple hours."

And they kept that schedule almost the same through the next eight years.

_______________

After college Dinah went to the police academy and Laurel started working for the D.A. still keeping the primary structure of their college schedule having the only difference be they go to their own apartments about five minutes apart from each other.

One day walking through the park on their day off together Dinah says "Laurel, you and I have been together for over a decade and known for longer... You are my best friend and the love of my life."

Laurel cuts in asking "Are you proposing to me?" Holding back a wide smile and a few tears.

With an almost disappointed look Dinah says "Not if you don't want me to." Taking her hand out of her jacket pocket.

Laurels eyes go wide in realization of how that sounded and immediately says "NO NO NO it's not that at all..." Reaching in her pocket now and says "It's just that... You beat me to it... again." With a slight laugh in her voice as she opens the ring box from her pocket.

They both laugh and start crying happy tears and Dinah says "Would you like to exchange speeches of how much we love each other?"

With a soft smile Laurel says "I would love to."

_______________

After two years of wedding planning and working towards their life together Laurel and Dinah are standing in their rooms apart about to walk down to the alter with wide smiles and nerves on full alert.

As the music starts playing Dinah and Laurel start making their way to the alter walking down their own isles meeting to stand together under the archway.

Making their way through the ceremony Laurel can't stop crying tears of joy and Dinah can't stop wiping those tears away with a soft thumb and a wide smile.

Looking between them Curtis asks "Would you like to exchange your vows?"

Dinah pulls a paper out of her dress sleeve and starts reading "Laurel, you are the one person in my life that not only challenges me but pushes me to the point that I couldn't be anything except better when whatever it is has finished, you are my best friend and have been for so long I could never imagine my life without you, I love you more than anyone or anything on this planet, I give my word in promise to always honor and respect, treasure and appreciate, love and adore, lavish and keep you, in sickness, in health, in sorrow, in joy, in grief, in all that we go through together, I am giving myself to you in the sight of God and the witness of our family and friends, I only ask you to love me in return for the rest of our lives and to keep me accountable if I am to ever slip."

Laurel who is now in tears smiling so brightly says "Dinah, you as my best friend and the love of my life I give you my word to do all that you have asked and promise to honor and respect, treasure and appreciate, love and adore, uplift and walk with you in the sight of God and witness of our friends and family for so long as we have in this life."

_______________

Later that night as they arrive at their new shared home surrounded by boxes and furniture mostly out of it's place Dinah looks at Laurel and says "Wow." with an amazed look.

Laurel blushes slightly and says "Wow what you doof?" nudging her should.

"I was just thinking not only do I have the most beautiful woman in the world for the rest of my life but... Now, she can't say no if I want to stay the night in her bed!" With a goofy smile on her face.

Trying for deadpan but failing Laurel says reaches around Dinah's neck and says "Wow..."

Dinah still smiling a goofy smile asks "What?" Rocking back and forth with Laurel in her arms.

Smiling the same goody smile Laurel says "I married and idiot." Leaning in to share the first of many kisses in their new home and truly new life together.

_______________

The next morning waking up together Dinah and Laurel lock eyes and say in unison "I love you, always and forever."

_______________

I know it took a while but here this is, I hope you enjoy it y'all.

[nsfwsportsanimebabes]

I Need you to Really Date Me

Description: this is PART 2 of the Kuroo x reader writing prompt 'I need you to fake date me' that so many of you eagerly requested be done. I'm happy y'all wanted a part two because I've eagerly wanted to keep writing on this piece of work lol.

Requested: yes of course obviously. Namely, I asked if anyone wanted a part two and y'all answered 😁😁 once again ya girl Crow got wayyyyy into this and it probably is longer than it originally was going to be.

Hope you lovelies enjoy! ~Admin Crow 💚

                            ___________________________________

“Kuroo why didn’t you warn me that there would be couples events!?” 

You were panicking. Rightfully so of course. Kuroo had completely forgotten to tell you about any kind of competitions or events during this reunion. The two of you had made it back to the room you were sharing. Kuroo was sitting on the end of the bed, his head in his hands resting on his knees. He hadn’t said a word since his cousin had reminded you of the events in the morning. 

“Kuroo! I am kind of freaking out over here, any kind of response would be nice so I know you didn’t die over there.” 

Okay maybe you were being a little bit dramatic, but you were getting worried. Kuroo always had a response for everything. So why was he so damn quiet right now when you needed something, anything, from him?

Kuroo lifted his head and looked over at you “I’m sorry F/N, I should have told you about this. I would have understood if you had said no. We always have family events at these things, however the couples part is totally new. And I have no idea what they entail.” 

You stopped pacing and went to sit by him on the bed, letting out a sigh “Kuroo. I don’t give a damn about all of that. I agreed to doing this. But I have no clue how to Kayak, nonetheless whatever ‘couples kayaking’ is and through the rapids to add to it.” 

Kuroo blinked in confusion “Wait...you’re freaking out because you don’t know how to kayak? Not because this is a couples event and competition that probably has couple specified events?” 

Letting out a sigh you looked right at him with a grin “Tetsu dear, you didn’t know your fake girlfriend was competitive did you? Sure I don’t know if I want to know what the couples events mean, but I signed up to be your girlfriend for the weekend.  I’m not gonna dip out on you or anything.”

Kuroo let out a laugh “Oh my god I totally thought you were about to dip out on me and I would have to admit that this was fake. But you’re worried about Kayaking? How hard can it be?” 

“The fact that you don’t know what we will see in the morning is what scares me.” you yawned.

Kuroo chuckled to himself “Guess we will just have to see what the morning brings then huh F/N?”

                                    ________________________

7am and one remaining Kayak left. That is what the morning brought the two of you. You had barely made it down the stairs in time to even make it to the event. But it would seem everyone else participating was already out on the lake, the official event beginning at 7am sharp. 

Tilting your head to the side you narrowed your eyes at the remaining Kayak, something about it not quite right “hey Kuroo....Aren’t two person Kayaks supposed to have..?” 

Kuroo nodded, kicking the Kayak over to further prove your point. “Two seats and two paddles for two people? Yep. They sure are.” 

The sad excuse of a two person kayak mocked the two of you. “Sorry there aren’t any other newer kayaks left Kuroo!”

You both looked up, seeing Kuroo’s two cousins from the other day grinning at the two of you. “There were plenty of the newer, two seater Kayaks earlier. But that one that’s left has room for two people, as long as you don’t mind being close to each other!” he called, laughing as they raced off towards the rapids. 

Kuroo let out a groan “Of course that’s what happened. Guess we will just have to take turns rowing. That puts us at such a disadvantage.” He began pushing the kayak towards the water and turned to look back at you with a questioning look.

“Are you sure we are gonna both fit in there?” you asked unsure of the answer. Regardless, you would be back to chest with each other. Hardly any other room considering how lanky Kuroo was. You weren’t sure this was going to work out well. 

Kuroo chuckled “oh come on, it won’t be any different than riding on my bike..afraid to be that close to me?” he taunted, wiggling his brows at you.

Shaking yourself from the blush you felt rising to your cheeks, you huffed, grabbing the paddle and pushing the Kayak into the water “No, I’m concerned that our combined weight in one central area is gonna make it easier for us to tip. And I would like to not tip thank you very much.”

Kuroo blinked “Oh. Guess I didn’t think of that. We will just have to be careful then won’t we?” 

The two of you awkwardly, but successfully, got yourself into the tiny boat. Kuroo sitting further back, his legs needing the most room, and you sat in front of him; your back to his chest, arms holding the center of the paddle to help guide some of the direction as Kuroo did most of the bulk work at first. 

After a few practice laps to get used to the weight and feel of the boat, you turned to look up at Kuroo “I think we might be ready...What time does the event fully start?” you asked, hoping it was soon.

Kuroo looked at his watch and groaned “18 minutes ago....” 

“What!? Kuroo are you serious? We have so much time to make up for! Let’s go!” you shrieked, lightly hitting his legs to get him to go. He had gotten you into the kayak, now was time for the competition. 

“Alright Alright! I’m going! Calm down or you're gonna tip us!” Kuroo yelled trying to balance the sudden movements you were making. The closer to the rapids you got the more your hearts raced. As soon as the first rapids and slight fall came upon you, you leaned back against Kuroo, tensing, hoping to stay as still as possible to not end up in the water. Who knew how well this rickety old kayak would really hold up?

Kuroo tensed around you as well, pulling the oar closer to your center, securing you in his grip, his strong legs locking in place at your sides, the only way you would end up in the water is if the whole kayak tipped.

 As the first rapids slowed down and you two had survived, you let out a rush of breath and looked up at Kuroo, who hadn’t relaxed yet. “Kuroo! We survived the first rapids you can relax now!” you laughed, adrenaline rushing through your veins. 

Kuroo looked down at you his chest rising and falling rapidly “You sure are confident for surviving small rapids” Kuroo looked ahead noticing a sign leading to two different paths on the lake. 

Squinting he noticed it had two directions, and one of them said ‘couples only’ while the other sign directed the other teams another direction. “It looks like we only had to survive one round of the rapids. This path leads away from the rest of the rapids. Wonder what they have separate for couples?” 

You let out a huff “It better not be some detour that makes it harder for us to win the competition.”

Kuroo let out a chuckle as he steered the kayak towards the sign “Well we have to follow through and see what happens. Maybe we get an advantage?” 

Once the two of you paddled to the water’s edge, you noticed something set up on a table underneath a tree. “Oi Kuroo, what do you think that is over there?” you asked, taking the hand he had offered to help you out of the kayak.

“Looks like they have some sort of device set up. They probably want us to take some ridiculous photos or something like that.” he speculated, picking up the directions card when you two arrived at the tree.

“To all couples stopped at this place, this is a chance for you to advance in the races! The team that has the best ‘sporadic live proposal’ gets the advance all the away to the final round!”

Kuroo paused, peering at the note again “sporadic live proposal? What the heck does that mean?”

You peered down at the device set up on the table and blanched “uh Kuroo...this is a drone hooked up to a live video feed...” 

“What!?” Kuroo leaned over your shoulder peering at the device “what the hell kind of challenge is this?” 

“The kind that we can’t get out of?” you sighed. The two of you were barely managing to survive pretending to be a couple. Now you were expected to pretend to do some silly proposal? This felt like such a trap.

“Well why don’t we just shake up whoever is judging this thing then?” you turned, Kuroo had taken your hands and dramatically got on one knee, winking at you in the process. 

It took everything in your entire being to not blush “Kuroo! What are you doing?” you hissed totally caught off guard. You hadn’t discussed the plan! You had no idea what he meant by shaking up the judges! 

“F/N, I know we haven’t really been together for very long. In fact, it only feels like its been a few days” Kuroo paused, waggling his eyes at you earning a giggle and calming of your nerves slightly. “But I think after this weekend I have the sudden urge to spend more and more time with you” 

He wait..he what?

You weren’t sure when the feeling had changed, but suddenly you got this sudden feeling that Kuroo was no longer just going along with the joke. “F/N, I don’t want to fake date you any longer. I need you to date me. For real this time. No more pretending. I realized fake dating you made me not want this weekend to end, knowing that come Monday we would go back to being just classmates.”

You felt like your eyes were going to bulge out of your head, frozen in place as Kuroo honestly confessed that to you. “Tetsu....I-I would love to really date you.” you laughed, letting out a squeal as Kuroo swept you off of the ground into his arms, sealing the confession with a long awaited Kiss that neither of you realized you had been waiting for. 

A while later, the two of you had waited for hours for someone to confirm to you that the final round had happened. When no one came to retrieve the two of you, you went searching for answers. Suspicious that maybe the whole thing had been a setup, despite the outcomes. When you arrived back at the cabin hand in hand, you noticed Kuroo’s cousins snickering. It turns out that the whole thing had been a set up, his cousins not believing your fake dating plan one bit. 

But it didn’t matter to either of you in the end, because it had gotten the two of you together, for real this time. 

A/N: good lord this took so long to finally post. I hope you guys like part two! ~Admin Crow

[snffbeebee]

This is a request by the lovely @jackles-jadalecki , I hope Y'all enjoy !!!

Word Count - 2,055

It was a beautiful day in Texas, the sun was hot and you sat with a beer in your hand, across from one of your best friends Danieel. You had lost contact after she moved back here with her ex and one of the main actors on Supernatural, Jensen Ackles, aka Dean frigging Winchester. It had been at least 10 years since you seen each other, so you spent the whole day catching up.

" I mean don't get me wrong, I'll always love Jensen, but it just wasn't the same anymore. Besides the kids we didn't really have much to talk about anymore. Thank God it was a clean split because I don't know how some people get divorced and not speak to each other, specially if there are kids involved. " Danieel said, taking a swig of her beer.

" I take it the media has had a field day with all that. " You stated.

" Honestly it hasn't been as bad as I thought it was gonna be. We've kept our private lives pretty private. "

Right then you heard the front door open and turned to see him. Jensen frigging Ackles. You were a huge fan of the show and couldn't deny that you had always been a Dean girl.

" Speak of the Winchester. " Danieel laughed as she got to her feet and greeted him with a hug.

You couldn't help but smile back when he smiled at you. Jesus that man was even more beautiful in person...and tall..holy shit. You seen a smirk pull on Danieels lips as they made their way over to you.

" Jensen this is my collage best friend Y/N...Y/N this is my goofball of an ex Jensen. "

" Was she always this crazy ? " He laughed.

" Yeah pretty much. " You smirked at her.

After a few beers, you needed to get back, because you had a photo shoot to do the next morning and you were still jetlag from your flight this morning.

" Alright, I'm gonna call a cab, I gotta go get some sleep. Can't half ass tomorrow. " You said getting to your feet.

" No need to call a cab, I've gotta go pick up the kids, I can give ya a lift. " He smiled.

You shoved your phone in your back pocket and looked at him.

" Really, I can call a cab it's not a big deal. "

Jensen glanced at Danieel with a shake of his head.

" Are all your friends as stubborn as you. " He joked

" I'm giving you a lift. "

He leaned down and kissed Danieel on the top of her head with a smile.

" I'll have them call you before bed, I know that JJ won't let me forget about that..she never does. "

You hugged her then turned and smiled at Jensen.

" Alright, where to? " he asked as you guys walked out the front door and got into his car.

" I'm at the hotel down on 6th. "

" Hotel huh, just visiting? " He asked curious.

" Moving actually. I spent enough time in LA, I needed a change of scenery. " You said with a little laugh.

" So what made you come here? "

" Well I've been here a few times for photo shoots, and I just kinda fell in love. "

" Photo shoots huh..you in front of the camera or behind it? "

" I've had my share of being in front of the camera, but I prefer to be behind it. "

You guys talked all the way to your hotel and you didn't actually want to say goodbye to this man. You knew some things about him from being a fan of the show and of course talking to Danieel, but you found yourself wanting to get to know everything about him.

" So listen, did you want to grab a drink or something with me this weekend? I bring the kids to Dees on Friday morning, but I'm free Friday night. "

Your heart was racing..You couldn't believe that he was asking you out. You couldn't contain the smile on your face.

" I'd love to. "

That Friday night, you went and got dinner then ended back up at his place,had a few drinks and talked almost until 5 am. That was the start of something amazing. You spent a lot of time with him over the next 6 months. Even flying to Vancouver to check out the set and see him, Jared and everyone else in action and you were beyond start struck. It was about 2 am on Saturday morning and you guys were on the plane back to Texas when he took your hand in his.

" So how would feel about coming to Danieel's place for JJ's birthday party tomorrow?" He asked with a smile.

Your heart skipped a beat. You had seen pictures and he would talk non stop about them..but you didn't think that meeting them would terrify you this much.

" Are you sure? I mean what if they don't like me. " You said with a little laugh.

" Are you kidding, they are gonna love you..just as much as I do. "

His eyes burned into yours as he said those last words. This was the first time he had told you he loved you and it made your heart fill with happiness.

" You love me huh. " You smirked.

He ran his hand across your face with a soft smile.

" Its crazy because it's so soon, but yeah I love you. "

" I love you too. "

He smiled then leaned in and kissed you softly.

" So is that a yes? " He asked.

You thought for a second. If this was going to work out, you would have meet them..and Well you kinda already loved them just by the way Jensen talked about them.

" It's a yes. "

" Good! "

“ Alright, so that means I gotta go get her something before we go. “

“ You don’t have to do that. “ 

“ Yes I do..Come on you having kids you should know that having a present always helps. “ You laughed.

When you landed, you went back to Jensen’s house, got a few hours of sleep, then you got ready then you and Jensen went out shopping. You searched a few stores and  then you found the perfect gift. The whole way to Danieel’s house your nerves were going crazy. Jensen took your hand in his as you walked onto the porch.

“ Just relax, you’ve already met everyone in there. “

“ Except the ones who actually matter at the moment. “ You laughed.

He leaned in and kissed you passionately, then you made your way inside.

“ Hey, you guys made it. “ Gen smiled as you guys came into the kitchen.

She kissed Jensen’s cheek and hugged you.

“ Where’s the birthday girl? “ He asked, looking around the back yard where everyone was.

“ They are all outside in the bouncy house. “

He squeezed your hand, then you went out into the beautiful backyard. You let out a shaky breath and he couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. Danieel smiled when she seen you and Jensen.

“ JJ, look who’s . “

Before she could finish her sentence, you seen her jump out of the bouncy house and run towards him.

“ Daddy!! “ She yelled, as he picked her up into a big hug and kissed the top of her head.

“ Happy birthday beautiful. “

You couldn’t help but smile when she looked at you.

“ JJ, this is Y/N . “

“ Is she your new girlfriend that mommy told me about? “ She asked.

“ Yes, she is. “

“ Hi. “ She smiled.

“ Hi, happy birthday. “

“ Thank you. “ She smiled, that smile that mirrored Jensen’s.

“ I got you something. “ You smiled, showing her the pink wrapped box.

“ Can I open it now Daddy? “ She asked, looking at him.

Your heart shuttered, she was a mini him.

“ Yeah, I think you’ll really like it. “ He smiled as he set her on her feet.

You bent down and held it, while she ripped the paper off the box. Her face lit up when she seen the little pink guitar on the box.

“ Daddy she got me a guitar!! “

“ Yeah, you’re Daddy told me that you liked playing his, so I thought it would be better if you had your own. “ You smiled.

Her smile, made your heart so happy. Jensen took the box from you and the moment your arms were empty, she wrapped her little arms around your neck and hugged you tightly.

“ Thank you Y/N. Daddy, can I go show mommy? “ She asked anxiously.

“ Yeah, go ahead baby. “ He kissed her, as she took the box from him and ran over to show Danieel. 

You got to your feet with a huge smile on your face.

“ See I told you that she’d love you. “ He smiled, placing a kiss on your cheek then taking your hand in his.

“ Ah there are my other babies. “ He smiled as you walked over to Gen and Jared who had the twins playing on the grass.

“ Y/N this is Arrow. “ Jensen picked her up and kissed her noisily. 

She was so beautiful.

“ Hey baby girl, Daddy missed you. “

You seen Zepplin sitting with Jared playing with some toy. You sat down next to Jared and smiled at the little Jensen. God that kid was going to be a looker.

“ And this handsome man must be Zepplin. Hey there. “ You smiled.

“ Zep, can you say hi? “ Jensen asked sitting next to you with Arrow in his lap.

Zepplin smiled and waved his hand. God you didn’t know why you were so nervous about this. His kids were amazing. You sat there and played with the kids for a bit, then Jensen went to help Danieel with JJ’s cake.

“ So you finally decided to introduce them huh. “ She smiled.

“ Yeah, I thought it was time, and she was nervous as hell. “ He laughed.

“ They seem to really like her. JJ couldn’t stop talking about that little guitar that she got her, the perfect gift by the way. “

“ Yeah that was all her. “ He said as he watched you play and laugh with Zepplin.

“ She’s got Zep, so I think she’s in. “ She smiled as she lit the candles on the cake.

He couldn’t help but smile. After everyone started to leave, Jared patted Jensen’s shoulder.

“ So they really seem to like her eh. “ 

Jensen looked over and seen Zepplin passed out on your chest as you talked with Gen and Danieel.

“ Yeah, I think I might keep her around for a while. “

Jared raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled out a little black box.

“ Are you serious? Have you talked to Danieel about this? “ Jared asked.

He slipped the box back into his jacket pocket with a smile.

“ She helped me pick it out. “ 

He knew this woman was the one who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And a year later, that’s exactly what you did. You had the wedding of your dreams and you couldn’t have been happier. You had an amazing husband, amazing friends, beautiful step kids, that you considered your own and a surprise for Jensen. You were sitting out in the backyard looking out at the view after putting the kids to bed. You had your head on his chest, your legs intertwined with his and your hands in his.

“ Hey Jay. “ You said looking up at him.

“ Yes my beautiful wife. “

“ How do you feel about adding another room to the upstairs? “ You asked.

“ For what? “ He asked.

It took him a second, but he finally caught on and sat up.

“ You’re pregnant? “

You smiled and nodded your head.

“ You’re serious? “ He asked still in disbelief.

“ Yes Jay, you’re gonna be a Daddy again. “ You smiled.

He leaned in, kissed you passionately then put his forehead to yours.

“ I love you Y/N “

“ I love you too. “ You whispered against his lips.

I hope Y’all enjoyed this fluff. It’s not much, but it was a little difficult to write someone else’s kids, but yeah...keep those Requests coming please!!!! Thanks again for all the love! You guys are amazing!!! <3

@ezilyamuzed @redlipstickandthewinchesters @angelkurenai @deans-jiggly-pudding @thekatherinewinchester @hunterswearingplaid @supernatural-teamfreewillpage @nanie5 @spndeanlover1967 @angelessquirrel @jamielea81 @nillavanilla21 @one-to-beam-up @mirandaaustin93 @bitterstar88

[jbuffyangel]

Balance: Arrow 6x04 Review (Reversal)

Arrow Season 6: a summary

Did I fall asleep reading glorious fanfic and am now dreaming it's on TV? Because sometimes that happens.

Best episode of Season 6.  Yeah yeah, we're only on four. I DON'T CARE THAT WAS AMAZING. "Reversal" is Oliver and Felicity walking in each other's shoes (but not in an angsty way) while husband and wife-ing their way through the episode. Reversal has the heart, soul and comedy that Arrow needs. This is what makes the show great. We hung in there for the long haul and through some dark days. Olicity has come out the other side and the Arrow writers are bathing us all in the sun.

It is truly rare for a television show to get better with age. This one is for the books. I, for one, am going to enjoy the hell out of this.

Let's dig in...

Olicity

Y'all I am honestly so giddy that this is the second week in a row I get to start with Olicity. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE THAT'S HAPPENED? Probably since you read the reviews, but I felt it was worth noting in caps lock.

Source:  songbin

We begin with the Olicity date. William picked out Oliver's tie.  

Little Man Queen is all in. He ships it hard. Welcome to the fandom little buddy.

William wanted to go to dinner with them and I’ve never related to him more.  

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

I'm literally that old lady interrupting the date to fangirl. 

Only I would have brought a camera. I'd be snapping pictures of my babes like it's their prom.

Oliver and Felicity reminisce about the last date they went on THREE YEARS ago

and how terrible it went. I love they are as bitter about it as I am. Yes, Arrow it's been three years since you last let our fan favorite couple sample delicious goodies. And I don't just mean food. BA DUM CHING!

At least they made it to wine this time. Also, Felicity being superstitious? IT ME. Don't tempt the dark days. Now, we only whisper about them to our children around campfires. Throw salt over your shoulder Oliver and say the special chants to keep the spirits away.

Their reminiscing brings Oliver to a more serious point. Things have changed. He has changed, in a real and deep way. Even more than he did at the end of Season 3.

This time things will be different. The things that broke them ultimately brought them back together. Olicity is fortified by their rocky path to happiness and they are stronger for it.

Source: oliverxfelicity

Our son is grown fandom. We have nothing left to teach him. Go with God my child. 

Make me all the babies. Particularly with panty dropping lines like that one. 

Felicity makes cute with a joke about being the Mayor's girlfriend again. (She uses the words girlfriend and boyfriend a lot in this episode. I SO HAPPY.)

Real talk though, she should get a break on rent or something. Or is that nepotism? Probably not a good idea. Say... I KNOW... how about you move into together, get married and FILE JOINTLY. That'll save some bucks there cutie. Stick with me kids. I can thunk my way out of anything.

Oliver asks Felicity to go to a fundraiser with him. Sometimes we need to work on your funny Queen. She begs off because First Lady duties isn't on her nifty top fifty list of things to do. Primarily because with Mayor Oliver Queen comes the fiery intense focus of the media and Felicity is trying to keep a low profile these days. She also doesn't want to put too much on their relationship plate. You know that old lady is blogging about Olicity being back on.

Source:felicitys

Here's what I'm not interested in. I'm not interested in seeing Olicity do the same things over again. We did supportive girlfriend/First Lady of Star City in Season 4. Felicity went to fundraisers and speeches. Hell her damn proposal was in the middle of a campaign event. It was great, wonderful and very much focused on launching Oliver's career as mayor.

Felicity had Palmer Tech in Season 4, but this start up is bigger than that. This company is something that's hers (along with Curtis and Alena). This episode is about reversal and hopefully that's a larger theme that plays into the rest of the season. Relationships are not always 50/50, but there does need to a balance. Oliver's career is on firmer ground, much like Felicity's was in Season 4. This is quite a shift for them. It's Oliver's turn to be the supportive boyfriend/spouse of the CEO. It's time to focus on launching FELICITY'S career.  Of course, Arrow can do both, but the fact that they took the time to write a scene in which Felicity backs off the political life makes me think they have other focuses for her character this season. THIS IS A GOOD THING.

Source:oliverfelicitygifs

The first person to agree is Oliver.  SO MANY BOYFRIEND POINTS THIS EPISODE. He's excited about her company and wants Felicity to have something in her life that is not just the team.  Honestly this is an out of body episode. OLIVER IS THAT YOU? Reversal is right. 

Of course, Oliver's one speech compared to Felicity's 3439 speeches to Oliver about getting a life doesn't quite equate, but ya know, baby steps.

Then Curtis rings with a 911 

and Felicity ditches on the date. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver commenting on how it felt to be Felicity is so meta. 

But then she gives him all the kissy kisses and I honestly think if another rocket exploded in the restaurant Oliver would have maintained his dreamy, contented smile. 

Source: amanitacaplan

This idiot is so in love.

Curtis feels bad for interrupting Felicity's date, especially when he finds out they didn't make it to dessert. AS WELL YOU SHOULD SIR. His commitment to Olicity having sex is admirable and puts him in the running for Superhero of the Week (my new Just About Write article debuting this weekend).

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

It was mostly Adrian Chase Curtis, but sure. You helped.

Felicity is once again sidetracked from the sexy times when Alena breaks into her apartment. She needs Felicity's help bringing down Cayden James because he's turned to an uber bad guy who wants to kill 300 million people. Okay...so... that's a problem.

Felicity and Alena decide to meet with someone who can get them the tech to take down Cayden....

Source: westallenolicitygifs

and forgets that she invited Oliver over for sexy times. 

Oliver isn't sure Felicity can trust Alena and DUDE SAME, but she doesn't really feel she has a choice. Cayden James is out in the world because Felicity unleashed him.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

SWOON. There is nothing hotter than Oliver's Protective Husband Mode.  

However, Felicity is adamant this isn't Oliver's life anymore. Yeah, it sounds good in theory, but how realistic is it? This is Arrow.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Felicity's commitment to having sex with Oliver puts her in the running for Superhero of the Week.

Felicity is about to make a deal for the tech with Alena's contact Amnesiac when a masked man comes charging in and kicks the crap out of everyone. Honestly, I was so confused because I didn't see the shot of the gas mask earlier. So, for a second I thought it was Vigilante and was all 

Of course, it was Oliver protecting his bae. Rookie mistake Jen.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

This is probably one of the funniest scenes these two have had in a long time. Oliver whisper yells about trying to protect Felicity. Felicity whisper yells about trying to protect Oliver.  

Source: oliverxfelicity

These two arguing is a new sexual identify. It's hot. Almost as hot as sex.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver is furious Felicity went into the field without backup. Felicity is furious Oliver blew her meet and exposed himself to the FBI. Both have valid points which they acknowledge via whisper yelling. They can't get into it anymore so they table the argument until later. Isn't it nice we don't have to wait 15 episodes for Olicity to hash out their issues? I love functional relationships.

Felicity does check in with John to say she's tracking down Cayden James & doesn't need help. Well... that's not exactly what Oliver asked you to do sweetie.

Of course, Felicity and Alena walked right into Cayden James trap. MICHAEL EMMERSON IS ON MY TELEVISION SCREEN!!!! 

His performance is pure ice and effectively terrifying.

Team Arrow tracks Black Siren's location with Curtis' tech and show up just in time to save Felicity and Alena. Unfortunately, Alena is shot in the fight. Felicity spirals with intense guilt and yells at Diggle, which honestly makes me as uncomfortable as when my parents fight. I handle Olicity fighting better than Delicity. 

Diggle tells Felicity to go home and talk to Oliver.  Alright, he said it differently but it's what he said.

Oliver arrives at Felicity's apartment thanks to a well coordinated phone call from John. I love when the boys tag team her. We settle into another role reversal moment between these two with Oliver giving Felicity the pep talk. The genius of Oliver's pep is he uses everything Felicity has said to him over the years.

I think in Oliver's time away the team has lost a little perspective on what it was like when he was ON the team. We saw it with Diggle last week believing Oliver had it all together all the time. Now this week, Felicity is wondering how Oliver balanced all his personas. How did he do it all by himself.

SAY WHAT GIRL? Uhhh... he didn't balance anything. We've watched Oliver screw up his life one way or another for the last five years. Sure, bit by bit he's put the pieces together, but again I say, over FIVE YEARS. Just because he has his act together now and is one with the sagey wisdom doesn't mean he's always been that way. Sorry Oliver. I love you, but it's true.  It's been a long, hard road to fully realized superhero. While I am thoroughly enjoying where you are now I'm not forgetting what a hot mess you were before.

Both Diggle and Felicity are remembering all the good parts of Oliver being the leader of Team Arrow, in a rose colored glasses sort of way, because they love him and miss Oliver being on the team. They are also a little lost in their own stuff for a change, but Felicity asking how Oliver did it all by himself is a head shaking moment. 

Felicity, look at this man. YOU BUILT THAT. 

This is like Da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa and then asking her how she blended the colors so well.  True, Oliver has a little more agency than an inanimate object, but you see my point.

Source:  someone-like-robsten

It's the same point Oliver makes. He's not forgetting the hot mess he used to be. The lessons he learned, that formed who he is today, are hard earned. Oliver believed he had to do it alone until he realized he couldn't.  Until he realized he needed Felicity.

Felicity was with him every step of the way whether they were together romantically or not.  

Oliver is only the man he is today because Felicity believed in him.

She pulled Oliver out of his brooding spirals and made him see the paths to his mistakes where laden with good intentions.

Even more important, she helped him find a way to make it right.

Understanding, trust, listening, support, advice, belief, unconditional love

- EVERYTHING Felicity has given Oliver he wants to give back to her.

Source: westallenolicitygifs

This is the second chance Oliver spoke of in his vows. Now that he has it he’s going to put it to good use.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

They interrupted again and Felicity remarks this is becoming a habit. Oliver agrees but can only feel pride. 

Source: amanitacaplan

He loves everything about Felicity - her commitment, intelligence, selflessness, compassion, drive and heroism. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver gets the same joy watching Felicity be her best self that she gets from watching Oliver be his best self.  

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

This is what love is. This is how relationships should be. Sometimes you give 90 and your partner gives 10. Sometimes it's 30/70 or 80/20 or 45/55.  Reversal isn't about 50/50.  It's about balance.

Oliver isn't typically a man of many words. He likes to put his money where his mouth is. Oliver is a man of action. However, instead of busting in and kicking ass to protect Felicity he decides to help in a way she actually needs. THY NAME IS CHARACTER GROWTH.

Source: someone-like-robsten

Oliver gets on the comms and is the voice in Felicity's ear. He guides her in the same way she has always guided him. Oliver physically taking on Felicity's role in the team acknowledges how vital she is to the team in a real and visceral way. Putting the titular hero in the same position as the "IT Girl" is Arrow saying Felicity is just as important, and just as much of a hero, as the Green Arrow. One cannot exist without the other. OKAY COMIC BOOK ASSHOLES?

Source: westallenolicitygifs

It also creates some A+ comedic moments.

Oliver finds a way to help that’s actually helpful. He uses the advice Felicity has given him over the years on her. He’s supportive while still being protective. He doesn’t try to control Felicity. Oliver knows when to step back and do her thing. He trusts in her. THIS IS MY KIND OF SUPERHERO.

And Felicity is able to learn from Oliver’s experience & mistakes. They make each other better. THIS IS THE COUPLE WE DESERVE FANDOM!

Source: tav681

"Reversal" concludes with a completed Olicity date with NO INTERRUPTIONS. 

Then actual fanfiction comes to life. 

Felicity and Oliver are up against a wall making out. 

This was how the first date was supposed to end. 

All kudos to Laura Hurley. She put this out into the universe repeatedly beginning circa 2015. I feel this is proof The Secret works.

Source: felicitys

Yeah I bet you have room for dessert. 

Oliver and Felicity tumble onto the couch 

(I am now 100% convinced this is where they had sex last week) 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

and Oliver manages to get in a solid ass grab (thatta boy) before they are interrupted by a phone call. AGAIN.

Congratulations to Slade Wilson for the biggest cockblock of the century.  You will not be not be my superhero of the week sir.

Felicity Smoak

Felicity is juggling five storylines right now: her company, Cayden James, her relationship with Oliver, her relationship with William and Team Arrow. WOW! This is the meaty storylines our badass female lead deserves.

The problem is, Felicity's individual storylines often feel rushed. They aren't given the time or attention they require. I'm looking at you paralysis and PTSD.

However, the follow through on the Helix/Cayden James/Felicity Dark Spiral storyline from Season 5 is excellent in "Reversal.” It also connects directly to Felicity’s new storylines.  Arrow is doing a much better job this season at slowing down with Felicity, holding onto the storyline threads they've built for the character, weaving them together, and building on them.  Granted, it's early but there's a lot in "Reversal" that makes me hopeful. It feels like a more balanced approach to the character.

We saw glimmers of Dark Spiral Felicity again. The need to go it alone, and refuse anyone's help (particularly Oliver's), was a pretty big theme for her in Season 5. It was Felicity essentially walking Season 1 Oliver's path (and a little of Season 3). She sort of backslides into that initially in "Reversal" but eventually is receptive to Oliver and the team's help. Why do I bring this up? Because like Oliver the lessons Felicity has learned are sticking with her, which is real character growth.  It's necessary to push this character to the next level in her journey:

Helix. 

Felicity finally decides on a name for her company with Curtis, and now Alena. Alena makes an important first contribution to the company. She reminds Felicity the reason why she wanted to be a hacktivist, fight crime and start a company.  

Felicity Smoak wants to change the world. There's lot of ways to change the world, but what drives Felicity Smoak is helping people.  Alena points out that Felicity has the technology, and direction for her company, inside her all along. It's like her very own Wizard of Oz moment.

We've always known what Felicity's company would create the moment Curtis Holt told her about the invention he made especially for her. Felicity's spinal implant. We were simply waiting for Felicity to realize it.

Now that she has Felicity can name the company. No, it's not Smoak Technologies. Instead she wants to use Helix. There are a lot of reasons why I love this name. 

Helix represents one of the darker parts of Felicity's history. It represents all the ways her hacktivism could have led her down a very different path and did for a time. Not unlike what happened in college. 

This company is about helping people in a way that is good, true and honest. It takes the darker path that Helix was and changes it into one filled with light. I also like that Felicity adds "Dynamics" to the name to give it a fresh start.

A helix is defined as, " an object having a three-dimensional shape like that of a wire wound uniformly in a single layer around a cylinder or cone, as in a corkscrew or spiral staircase." It's both mathematical and biological, which encompasses everything this company will excel at.

However, I want to focus on the biological imagery because that's what Felicity, Curtis and Elena are creating. A biological spinal implant.

A helix is an extended spiral chain of atoms in a protein, nucleic acid, or other polymeric molecule in biochemistry.  However, one of the most recognized images of a helix is the double helix. It looks like this:

It looks exactly like a spine. The technology and the company name is based on another one of Felicity's life altering moments - her paralysis.  The imagery of a Helix represents a physical part of Felicity's body. The tech is literally coming from her body. It's personal, at least to me, and that's what I hoped when they chose the name.

A double Helix is "the spiral arrangement of the two complementary strands of DNA." Separate entities become one and form something that is more than the sum of their parts. This speaks a lot to the partnership between Felicity and Curtis. 

Without Curtis, Felicity would still be paralyzed. Without Felicity, Curtis would be without purpose (i.e. Team Arrow and the company).  

Source:  supercanaries

The same can be said for Alena. Alena reminded Felicity that she wanted to make the world better. Felicity gave Alena a real way to do that.  Each of these wildly different and talented human beings brings something unique to the table. This is the very definition of synergy. It's the very essence of working together. It's what Felicity helped create with Team Arrow and now what she will create within her company.

Arrow weaves Felicity's paralysis, Helix, Palmer Tech and hacktivism storylines all into one beautiful tapestry. There's even a little bit of Havenrock in there. Destruction was forced on her and now Felicity uses that pain to build something. It's also her years on Team Arrow that gives her the confidence to start this venture. Felicity believes she can save lives and change the world because she already has.

Stray Thoughts

The destroying the internet plot was hokey but it gave me Michael Emerson and a spotlight on EBR's Felicity Smoak. So, I don't care.

Bravo show on continuing to focus Curtis on the invention side of things. He's becoming Arrow's Cisco which is what I always wanted. Following Felicity's instructions on how to  hack Cayden's tech is also a great way of highlighting HER talents.

Intentionally Suggestive #Olicity!!! Remember when we were at unintentionally suggestive Olicity? ALL WE DO IS WIN.

The dress is red. Don't @ me.

Alena: Didn't know you guys are back together.”

Oliver: Sure are.

HISS. Watch those claws Alena. This kitty scratches. I like it.

Why did Evil L*urel call herself Dinah? Can we pick a name please? (Yes I know her name is Dinah L*urel Lance. Dinah, L*urel, Evil L*aurel, Bl*ck Sir*n - let’s just settle on one

Bad wigs are not exclusive to Oliver. That's weirdly comforting in a way.  Source: supercanaries

The Cayden/Bl*ck Sir*n team up works. He's the brains. She's the brawn.

"Thank God we saved the internet! My fantasy football team was killing it this year." Rene didn't have much to do this episode, but this line took care of him. STELLAR.

Feel like a total jerk for not trusting Alena after she was shot. Sorry girl. My bad.

"Then what? I can't send an email?" I love you Dinah Drake.

"Delta Formation!" SOLDIER DIGGLE STYLE. I LIKE IT.

I'm loving that green jacket Dinah. Way to represent the team color.

"So this new partnership? Is it permanent?" Anyone else feel like Diggle was asking Olicity if they were together together? Maybe he slid them a note that read "Check yes or no." (Yes I know he was asking if Oliver was the new Overwatch. I'm making with the funny.)

Our girl is a total baddass. Brains and brawn.  Source:dailysmoaksnow

So Cayden James set Felicity up. She took down the firewall protecting the Internet vault. Her digital fingerprints are all over it. So when the FBI comes knocking they won't be looking for Cayden. They'll be looking for Felicity. It's high time everyone gets prepared. Homegirl is going to the pokey. Probably right after her wedding reception. Kudos to @callistawolf for calling this weeks ago with her witchy powers.

Dear Arrow,

We knew Michael Emerson was Cayden James.

Love,

Everyone

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 6x04 episode gifs credited.

[kkaebsongtypo]

Oops // Mark Lee

(A/N: This has been sitting in my drafts since the beginning of October and I was so upset that I had to wait until now to post it. I was going to post later but I could not wait. So, here’s a cute little Mark scenario! Enjoy!)

pairing: mark x reader

genre: fluff,,, wow what a surpise

warnings/notes: hella cute,,,, be prepared

word count: 1072

no backstory this time, we’re just jumping in head first

it was a cold friday in December

and a long day at school

last period seemed to last a year before the bell rang

when it did,, you packed up your stuff and got to your locker as quick as possible

throwing on your warm jacket and scarf,,, you made your way towards the front doors of your school

you pushed open the doors and looked around only to lock eyes with your boyfriend as he walked towards you

he was wearing the black coat that matched your maroon one

it was unzipped and he wore his cute red Canada mittens and toque

the canada gear is kind of basic but y'all I’m canadian and those toques and mittens are hella cute like imagine Mark in them,,,,,, wooooowww whatta cutie ;33

you walked out of the school and met him half way

he greeted you with a ‘hey’ and a small peck on the cheek

you giggled and reached for the opening of his jacket, pulling to closed

'babe, it’s cold out, are you crazy?’

Mark laughed at your cute reaction and grabbed your bare hands with his gloved ones

'yes, it is cold babe, why aren’t you wearing mittens? or a toque? aren’t YOU cold?’

you looked up and him and narrowed your eyes

'don’t answer my question with a question sir.’

he laughed and brought your hands up to his mouth and blew on them lightly, warming them

he took off his toque and pulled it over your head

he reached into his pocket and grabbed an extra pair of mitts, handing them to you

he grabbed your now gloved hand in his own and swung it back and forth lightly as you walked down the sidewalk towards your house

you talked and giggled the whole way through your frigid walk

once you reached your house

you let go of Marks hand and took out your key

the warmth of your home engulfed you two as you walked through the door

you took off your winter gear, hanging up your jacket and scarf

then dropping your bag by the dining room table

Mark wrapped his arms around your waist from behind,, resting his chin on your shoulder

'do you want me to make hot chocolate?’

you nodded and giggled, turning around to look at his face

'that would be lovely’

he placed a small peck on your nose before making his way into the kitchen and getting a sauce pan

you followed and pulled two big mugs out of the cuboard

Mark grabbed milk chocolate and dark chocolate from the pantree as you filled the two mugs with milk

then poured the messured milk into the pan and turning on the burner to let the milk heat up

Mark messured out equal parts of both chocolates and dumped them into the hot milk as you stirred

once the chocolate was melted and mixed you picked up the pot and poured the hot liquid equally into both cups

you set the pan in the skin and he walked back over to the pantree

'marshmallow fluff?’

you both said simultaneously

you turned around and smiled as he took out the fluff and a chocolate bar

as he finshed topping the hot chocolate with chocolate shavings, you sighed and laughed

'god, we’re so extra’

Mark looked up at you as he picked up both cups

you walked over, taking your mug from him and made your way back into the living room

you set your mug on the coffee table and sat down in the cornner of the sofa, snuggling under a fluffy blanket as Mark sat next to you

you turned on the tv as he got under the warm blank and cuddled you

you giggled as he did so

it was finally winter break, that means

WINTER MOVIES FOR EVERYONE

you put on Happy Feet, grabbed your mug, and curled up in Marks embrace

a few movies later,,, you decided to cook up a quick supper for the two of you

oh yeah, your parents are gone for the weekend for their anniversary

Mark sits on the counter like a child, observing curiously as you cook dinner

you two cuddled up on the sofa again after eating with some reruns of friends playing in the background

it was around 9 pm and after such a long day, you were tried

and with the warmth that radiated off your boyfriend, it was getting harder and harder to stay awake

Mark was in a similar situation, you were being so cuddley he began to doze

you didn’t realize you fell asleep until you woke up in the arms of a sleeping Mark

you looked out the window to see the streetlights were on and it was snowing

looking at the clock on the wall you saw that it was almost 1 am

you shifted slightly to look at your sleeping boyfriend

his eyes fluttered open at your movments

'hey,,,’

he spoke quietly as his eyes travled to the window and then to the clock

he turned to you after realizing the time

'shoot, sorry babe, i didn’t mean to fall asleep,,,’

you shook your head and smiled, reasuring him that it was okay

'how about we head to my room for a proper nights rest?’

he smiled and kissed your forehead before standing up and taking your hand

you grabbed your blanket and backpack, and followed Mark to your room

you grabbed one of Marks sweaters and a pair of bed shorts as he grabbed a pair of his sweats and a t-shirt before walking off to the bathroom to change

(oh shit hey, so yeah, y'all have been together for a while and he’s stayed over multiple times so he has some clothes at your house)

you changed in your room and laid under a pile of blankets as you waited for Mark

you didn’t wait very long as he walked back in minutes later and got in bed with you

you scooted closer to each other as Mark spoke up, wrapping his arms around you while you got comfortable laying on his chest

'this was not the original plan��

you smiled up at him and quietly whispered

'oops’

you moved closer to his face and he moved to press a sweet kiss to your lips

you both doze back off to sleep in each others arms on this cold winter night

damn this was just a thing

i threw this together in class like last 2 months ago lmao

it’s been sitting in my drafts and i finally get to post itttt

i hope y'all liked it

mark is just killing me

gosh.

alright, have a good rest of your day, I’ll be back soon with another scenario :)))))

~ Jae☾

[fromherlips]

the writing retreat - a goffin and king drabble (gif credit)

happy day two of 'brace your elf' december! here's a nice little drabble for g&k that may or may not be canon but i cannot confirm until the end of the story! but i hope y'all enjoy regardless! thanks for reading!

Jane couldn’t remember the last time that she drove. She got her license as soon as she was able, but she never had a car or found any need to drive when she moved to London. It was mostly a formality, something she could do in a pinch if necessary. Harry, however, had never driven a car in his entire life. Whether or not they could drive didn’t matter on a daily basis, not until Edwards and Cohen sent the duo on a writing retreat in the countryside.

They’d mentioned it in passing over the summer, though Jane assumed they were joking. There was absolutely no reason that she and Harry needed to be anywhere but their studio or flats to get writing done. They were doing just fine in the settings that they were comfortable writing in. The writing retreat wasn’t brought up again until late November, in a more formal setting during a meeting in Cohen’s office.

It was non-negotiable. Mode was paying for Harry and Jane to stay in a luxe, semi-isolated cottage for a long weekend for what they called a “writing retreat.” They’d rent a car for the two of them to take for the weekend, but expected them to stay on the premise to get writing done in a new atmosphere. When Jane tried to argue, she was hushed quickly and given more details about the trip.

Now it was December and Jane was sitting behind the wheel of a Range Rover, the nicest car that she had ever driven by far. Her hands were clenched tightly around the wheel, the roads slick and icy from the December frost. The roads outside of London were quiet at least, a true trip into the countryside. Jane had never been so deep into the outskirts of London, at least not beyond driving through to get to another city.

Harry, however, seemed fascinated by the scenery. Instead of listening to the radio like Jane had suggested, Harry went on about how he and his family used to take trips out to the countryside on weekends when he lived at home. Jane thought to tune him out, but he seemed pleased telling her about his childhood. She caught him smiling more than once out of her peripherals, his mitten clad hands bouncing on his lap

It was a short drive, only an hour at most, but Jane was careful navigating the roads to avoid disaster, tacking on extra time to their trip. Whereas Harry didn’t mind, all Jane wanted to do was get out of the car and scope out the cabin they were sentenced to for the extended weekend. Jane and Harry occasionally went out for drinks with other writers from Mode, but she hadn’t heard from anyone else about these weekend writing retreats. She wasn’t sure whether it was a punishment or reward.

While Harry and Jane would normally spend their Friday morning prepping songs in the studio, they instead were pulling up to a small grouping of cottages. They drove up a stretch of road that forked off into two directions with a larger looking house in the land between.

“I think that’s where Edwards said we have to check in or summat,” Harry said, pointing directly at the larger house. “I’ll go in and check if you want to wait here.”

“Great,” Jane said, pulling over in an area off to the side of the building near a small walkway. Harry hopped out, immediately tugging down on his thick knitted cap. He shuffled quickly towards the door, disappearing inside. She let out a long sigh, her lips pursed as she waited in the heated car for Harry to finish up inside.

He emerged with a set of keys and a bottle of champagne, shrugging when he made eye contact with Jane. She must’ve had her brows quirked, completely confused by the bottle. A gust of cold air rushed into the car when Harry opened the door. He immediately plopped down on the seat and pulled the door closed, shivering as he settled back into the seat.

“Any reason for the champagne?” Jane asked, eyeing the bottle in his lap.

“The woman said it was from Mr. Edwards and Mr. Cohen,” Harry said. “They must’ve taken note of your mass consumption of it at their dinner parties.”

“Shut up,” she grumbled. “Where are we supposed to go now?”

“Left at the fork,” Harry told her, reaching up with his left hand to pull the seatbelt across his chest. “I can tell you which one it is.”

“Fine,” Jane replied, shifting the car into reverse to pull out of her makeshift spot. It only took a few minutes before Harry pointed out his window at a cabin surrounded by evergreens and barren trees. There was a spot off to the side of the cabin cleared for their car, only a short walk to the front door of the cabin.

The keys dangled off of Harry’s fingers before he tossed them to Jane. They fell into her lap, nearly sliding off of her legs before she trapped them down with the palm of her hand. “I’ll grab the bags if you want to unlock the door,” Harry offered. “Then we can get the guitars later, yeah?”

“Fine,” she said, pressing a button to pop the boot for Harry. Jane unbuckled quickly, hopping out of the car so she didn’t have to spend a single second longer outside than necessary. Luckily, the inside of the cabin was warm, even with the draft coming from the open door while she waited for Harry to come inside.

Jane wandered around the small cabin, craning her neck up and down to examine the wooden walls and rustic décor. It was only a single floor, a small kitchen that led into the lounge, a bathroom, and what she assumed was a bedroom. Jane eyed the fireplace in the lounge with two large windows on either side of the exposed brick with views of the vast expanse of trees and land.

“Alright, I have your rucksack, my bag, and the snack bag,” Harry announced, the door slamming behind him.

“Snack bag? How old are you?” Jane asked, furrowing her brows at him.

“They serve meals in the main building for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I am a growing boy and need more food than that,” Harry announced. “Plus, snacks also includes beer, wine, and a little bit of whiskey.”

“Ah, so my kind of snacks I see,” Jane replied. “I can get the guitars now, I want to check out around the cabin anyways.”

“Be my guest, I’m going to toss these into the bedroom,” Harry announced, out of sight before Jane could turn around and acknowledge him. She pulled the zipper of her coat up to her neck, wincing when breeze licked at the exposed skin on her face. She spit out the strands of hair that got caught in her mouth, ignoring the fact that her fringe was completely out of sorts.

Jane used the front end of her case to push open the slightly ajar door, bumping it with the end to shut the door behind her. “I’m putting them in the lounge!” she yelled, no Harry in sight as she kicked her boots off at the door. Jane laid the cases down carefully next to arm chair, one similar in shape to her chair at the studio. There was a sofa that faced the fire, the chair set off to the side and angled in the same direction.

“Did you need anything from your bag?” Harry asked, emerging from the short back hallway, hair sans his cozy beanie.

“Not yet, unless we’re heading right into writing,” Jane replied. “Which, honestly, I cannot see happening until I nap because I’m knackered.”

“Driving really takes energy from you, doesn’t it?” Harry joked, smirking at Jane before she could even narrow her eyes at him.

“Says the bloke who’s never driven a day in his life,” Jane grumbled, instantly plopping down into the chair. She ran her fingers through her fringe until it laid flat on her forehead, the tips brushing against her lashes. She shut her eyes, tilting her head towards the back of the chair as she nestled comfortably into the cushions. “I’m going to close my eyes, feel free to do whatever.”

“Because there are heaps of things to do at an isolated cabin the woods,” Harry replied. “Fine, I’ll just stare out the window and count trees.”

Jane groaned, lingering in her curled up position until she heard Harry sigh. She kicked her legs out over the arm of the chair, letting them dangle off the side. She reached back to adjust one of the cushions, propping it between her lower back and the other side of the chair. Jane tried not to narrow her eyes when she looked to her right at Harry, who merely smiled when he saw that she was awake.

“I hate you,” she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. “Did you bring crisps?”

“Three flavors,” he replied. “Wouldn’t you rather have lunch from the main building?”

“That would require me to leave this cabin,” she said.

“You can’t stay in here all weekend,” Harry pointed out. “Not just because you need oxygen, but also because I fear that you might actually murder me if you don’t leave and see other human beings that aren’t me.”

She sighed. “I suppose that’s accurate,” she replied. “Will you drag me by my feet?”

“No, but you can drive us there if you’d like,” he said, bearing all of his teeth when he grinned at her this time.

“You have a lot of character flaws, but right now the most apparent is the fact that you can’t drive,” Jane complained, swinging her legs off of the arm of the couch so she was sitting upright.

“You also have a plethora of character flaws, but right now the fact that you have a license is not one of them,” Harry replied. “Turn that frown upside. It smelled amazing when I walked past the dining room at the main building.”

Jane grumbled a “whatever” under her breath, not thrilled to be getting out of the chair she had just gotten comfortable in. Harry was still in his boots and jacket, ready to go while Jane had to pull her Chelsea boots back on over the slim ankle of her jeans.

The whole point of the weekend was for Jane and Harry to get some quality writing done. Neither of them picked up their guitars until after dinner, wasting the rest of the afternoon and early evening on absolutely nothing. Harry had a fire started in the lounge, leaving them to sit on the opulent carpet spread out in front of the hearth. There were a few bottles of beer scattered around them, out of reach from the necks of their guitars. Harry kept his notebook open while Jane’s sat closed behind her.

Even the songs they tried to write came out as jokes. For the first time in a while, they were back to their playful nature. It felt like they were writing in their old flat, the one in Hackney that was always one accident away from falling apart. They were only in their early twenties then, two unknowns in the music industry working at coffee shops and bars to pay rent while they played open mics on the weekends.

They were often sat like this, sans the fireplace, with (usually) empty beer or wine bottles scattered around them while they just played. They didn’t set out to write anything, they just played and sang and wrote down whatever stood out to them. There was no pressure to produce hit singles, or even complete a song. It was just two kids with their guitars doing what they loved the most.

Somewhere along the way, maybe they’d lost that feeling. It wasn’t intentional or quick, it was a gradual gravitation towards quantity over quality, wanting to please their bosses and pay the bills. Writing was different when there was pressure. They had artists to worry about, their management and Mode Music, and their own expenses. They went from having nothing to making a life for themselves, two uni dropouts who wrote music to expel the emotions from their bodies. Or at least, attempt to.

“It will be an accomplishment if we get a single full song written this weekend,” Harry said, coming down from a laughing fit after Jane adlibbed a ridiculous verse about another writer at Mode who had a vendetta against them. “How much do you think they really expect out of this ‘retreat?’”

“Well, they haven’t mentioned it in a while, but I’m sure they want about a dozen more versions of ‘Everything,’” Jane joked. “They held that song against us for a solid year, didn’t they?”

“At least,” Harry replied. “I still hear it on the radio at least once a day though, so I guess good on us?”

“I guess,” Jane replied with a shrug.

“Sorry, we don’t have to talk about it,” Harry apologized, noting Jane’s drop in enthusiasm. “Do you want another beer?”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied. Harry set his guitar to the side away from the fire, twisting out of his uncomfortable sitting position to stand up. Jane shut her eyes, focusing on her breathing while Harry wasn’t looking.

Jane tightened her grip on the neck of her guitar, repositioning her fingers into a lazy barre chord. She heard Harry pop the caps off of the bottles, the crisp sound of the carbonation echoing in the small cabin. She plucked a few strings between her thumb and forefinger, playing around with patterns until Harry sat down in front of her again.

“Something come to you?” he asked, sliding the bottle closer to her.

“Nope,” she replied, her eyes still focused on the strings. “Probably shouldn’t force it, right?”

“Why don’t we just start fresh tomorrow instead,” Harry suggested. “To be honest, I’m too tired to write right now. My brain is mush.”

“You’re also probably drunk,” Jane pointed out, tilting her head back so she could swipe her fringe out of the way. Harry leaned back on one of his hands while the other was wrapped around the bottle resting on his thigh.

“I’m on my fourth beer, I’m nowhere near drunk, Janey,” Harry pointed out, tipping the top of the bottle towards her. “I’m afraid we might have to blow through the rest of the drinks for the weekend if you want to see me drunk.”

Jane shook her head, still holding onto her guitar, the last hope of getting some writing done that night. “I never want to see you drunk another day in your life,” she replied. “Got enough of that a few years ago trying to drag your ass out of bars every bloody weekend.”

“Ouch,” Harry hissed. “And to think, I thought you loved it. You came every time, didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t going to be responsible for you doing something stupid even if it would’ve been your fault because you’re the one who drank it all in the first place,” Jane replied. “I wasn’t having that on my conscience.”

“You’ll say anything to avoid admitting that you cared,” Harry said.

“That’s not true,” Jane replied, finally setting her guitar to the side.

“Then say it.”

Jane narrowed her eyes at him, finally reaching out to grab her beer. They stared each other down while she took a sip, slowly bringing the bottle away from her lips. She let it linger at her side, her feet tapping faintly as the cracking fire filled the silence.

“If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have come every time,” Jane finally said, her grip loosening on the bottle as she set it down at her side. “I thought about not coming most of the time.”

“Then what made you do it?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Sometimes I just knew that if it was a weekend, I was going to get that call. I thought maybe if I didn’t come, you’d stop when you realized that nobody was going to be there for you. But then…I don’t know. I guess I was just…worried you’d be alone and something worse would happen.”

Harry nodded, his lips unmoving. Jane watched his fingers rap against the side of bottle, the short tips of his nails clinking against the glass. “I was pathetic,” Harry finally said.

“You were hurt,” Jane reminded him. “And you dealt with it poorly and dangerously.”

“Sounds familiar,” Harry hummed.

Jane didn’t disagree, merely nodding before she took another sip. “We were never great at dealing with our feelings, were we?” Jane asked. “We’d write them down and sing them and hope that it would help us cope, but it never did. We still held on to everything, like some self-inflicted torture.”

“Can we use the excuse that we were young?” Harry joked, forcing a chuckle.

“If it makes us feel better,” Jane replied. “That’s all…in the past. Which wouldn’t have stopped me before but…”

“Things are different now,” Harry said, finishing Jane’s thought.

“Exactly,” she murmured. “I think I might turn in after this drink.”

“Me too,” Harry said. “I’m showering in the morning, so if you need it, feel free.”

“Thanks,” Jane said, taking one of her last sips of beer. “God, it’s like being flatmates all over again.”

“Except there’s no questionable stains on every inch of this place,” Harry added. “And no loud neighbors. Though I’m still not sure I’d want to go outside at dark here either. Too desolate and creepy.”

“Fair enough,” Jane replied. “Sometimes I forget that we lived together.”

“That bad you had to block it out?” Harry joked, quirking a brow at Jane.

“No, not bad,” she said, taking her final sip of beer. She set down the empty bottle, letting her hands lay at her sides. “I think I pretended to hate it more than I did. Not the complete lack of privacy, but…I don’t know.”

Harry snorted. “Jane Elizabeth Young, the woman of many words.”

“I’m going to go shower before I throw more than just a pen at you,” she announced, pressing her palms against the carpet. Harry remained seated as she stood up, sipping his beer slowly. He turned towards the fire, watching the dying flames lick at the logs. Jane didn’t tease him any further, turning left at the end of the short hall to stop in the bathroom. It was stocked with towels and beauty products, a basket full of hair care and shower gels sitting atop the counter.

Jane stood under the hot shower for far too long, the water beating against her skin until it started to turn pink. She wrapped herself up in the large white bath towel, using a smaller one to twist her hair up to dry. Jane felt goosebumps on her skin when she left the warm, steam filled bathroom, only crossing the hall to the bedroom.

She nearly jumped when she saw Harry lounging on the single bed in a different pair of joggers and similarly colored jumper, his eyes closed as he laid down with his hands behind his head.

“Where’d you put my bag?” Jane asked, prompting Harry to look up.

“On the chair,” he replied, pointing lazily to the armchair on his side of the bed.

She nodded, her bare feet padding against the cool wooden floors. Using one hand to secure the knot at the front of her towel, she grabbed the top handles, hoisting it off of the chair. Jane brought it back to the room across the hall, letting the bag along with her towels fall into a heap on the floor. She changed quickly into her leggings and t-shirt, not keen on spending too much time in the cold completely naked. She picked up the hair towel, placing it over her hair before she fussed with it to dry it as much as possible. When it finally felt damp, not wet, she gathered it all into a bun, letting her fringe fall flat against her forehead.

Harry hadn’t moved at all when she walked back in, still resting over the covers with his eyes closed. She set her bag down next to Harry’s on the opposite side of the room where it had been, combing through her fringe with her fingers before walking towards the bed.

“I couldn’t remember what side you liked, so I guessed,” Harry said, turning his head to the left.

“I like this side,” she confirmed, crawling onto the empty right side of the bed. “I’m fucking freezing.”

���There are covers for a reason,” Harry pointed out, plucking a piece of comforter between his fingers. “It is December, after all.”

“Did you put the fire out?” she asked, peeling back the covers enough for her to slip beneath the surface.

“Oh no, I thought I’d leave it burning the whole night, just to see what would happen to a totally wooden cabin,” Harry deadpanned. “Yes, Janey, the fire is out. We will not burn to death tonight.”

“I might freeze to death though,” she said, pulling the edge of the comforter up to her neck. “December is not my friend.”

“Stop complaining, Janey,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “We get this lovely cabin for a long weekend and then we go back to work for what, a week? And then get off for the holidays. December might be my favorite month right now.”

She scoffed, shifting further to the right to give Harry room to lay underneath the covers. The bed was only a double, leaving them shoulder to shoulder as they stared at the ceiling. “What are you going to do without me for two weeks?” Jane joked, nudging Harry’s arm with her elbow.

“Celebrate,” he replied, turning towards her so she could see his cheeky grin. “No, I’m only kidding. I’m happy you’re going on holiday with your family.”

“My mum is freaking out in our group message,” Jane said. “Without Sutton at home to help her, she doesn’t know what to pack or wear. She’s driving us mental.”

“Shh, she’s your mum,” Harry said, stifling his laughter.

“You’d think we were going to a posh city, not an intimate resort in the Maldives,” Jane grumbled.

“I still cannot believe you’re willingly spending two weeks on a beach,” Harry said, shaking his head incredulously. “I would pay to see you even go knee deep in the water. Oh my god, are you going to sunbathe?”

“It seems like all you’re interested in are scenarios in which I’m in a swimsuit,” Jane commented, narrowing her eyes at Harry.

“Ah yes, as if we haven’t seen each other partially dressed before,” Harry droned, rolling his eyes. “Can’t even count on two hands the amount of times I’ve accidentally walked in on you. And that time with my co-worker, ugh, it scarred me,” he added, shuddering.

Jane snorted. “I’m sure it did,” Jane said. “You were fucking livid after that. I believe you yelled at me for fucking your co-worker, as if you two worked together all of the time and were friends.”

“I was probably livid because I was jealous,” Harry admitted. When Jane looked at him with her brows furrowed, he merely shrugged. “What? It was bad enough hearing you with people through the walls, but walking in with somebody I knew was…my breaking point.”

“Oh my god,” Jane breathed out. “And to think I thought you were just a prude shitting on my sex life.”

“Nope,” he said. “Just a jealous prick.”

“Literally, apparently,” she joked. She shifted onto her side, her cheek resting against the pillow behind her so she was facing Harry completely. “That was almost ten years ago, wow.”

“So much has happened since then,” he commented, adjusting his position so he was laying down on his side like Jane. “I mean, with Mode and then…everything else.”

Jane nodded. “It’s been wild,” she commented. “Can’t believe the lad I hated in uni stuck around.”

“You did not hate me, Janey,” Harry said. “You hated that I saw you vulnerable when no one else had, even if it was your fault that I saw you like that because you bloody called me every time you were drunk.”

She shrugged. “You always answered.”

“I thought it was a bootycall,” he admitted. “And then it always became increasingly more clear that it was the exact opposite.”

“What a start to a complicated partnership,” she sighed. “It worked out, I guess.”

“It did, didn’t it?”

“Could’ve done without a lot of the shit that came along with it,” she admitted. “But, you know, shit happens. Helps us grow as people and stuff.”

“Right,” Harry agreed. “What a fucking wild ride.”

“It’s not over yet, H,” Jane reminded him. “We’ve got a hell of a lot more to do.”

“We?” Harry asked, quirking a brow. “Glad to know you aren’t ditching me.”

Jane shook her head. “I don’t think I could do any of this without you.”

She watched the corners of his lips tug into a faint, slightly crooked smile. “I feel the same,” he said. “Do you ever think about what’s next?”

“Sometimes,” she replied. “I can’t write songs forever, you know? I’m going to run out of words eventually.”

“No you won’t,” Harry said. “I might, but you won’t. I feel the same though. I just wonder what comes after this.”

“I’ve thought about opening a studio,” Jane admitted. “Or, I don’t know, starting an independent label. I don’t know.”

“I’ve thought about that too,” Harry said. “The label bit. I mean, we know the industry well. We get it. You get it.”

Jane nodded. “Glad we’re on the same page,” she replied. “So, guess we’re Styles and Young for a while longer, huh?”

“I don’t foresee Styles and Young ever not existing as a duo, even if it’s not on liner notes,” Harry said. “Hope you feel the same, or else this will be really embarrassing.”

“As much as I would love to embarrass you, I do,” she replied. “Feel the same, that is.”

“Brilliant,” Harry murmured, his eyes beginning to droop. Jane could feel Harry’s arms moving under the covers, his left arm snaking out. He reached out to fuss with her fringe, his favorite thing to do to rile up Jane. “Are you growing your fringe out?”

“Maybe,” Jane replied. “I can’t decide whether it’s time to get rid of them or not.”

“Janey without her fringe…” Harry said, his voice low as it trailed off. “It’ll look nice regardless.”

“I’ve had it for so long, I don’t remember what I look like without it,” she admitted.

His hand lingered, the tips of his fingers brushing her damp fringe to the side. Jane froze when his hand didn’t move, still resting against the side of her face. “Love your fringe,” he said, seeming to drift from the conversation.

“Harry,” Jane said, trying to get his attention. His eyes flickered up, locking with hers. “Your hand.”

“Mhm,” he hummed. "Ten years we’ve known each other. That’s a bloody long time.”

“Harry, go to sleep,” Jane told him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay Janey,” he said, his hand slowly falling in the space between them. “Be ready to write, okay?”

She laughed, watching as his eyes finally shut. “I’m always ready,” she said softly. She watched him smile before she flipped over onto her back, shifting her body closer to Harry’s under the covers.

[candescentcalum]

I Can’t Remember (Part 4)

Hey y'all! Sorry for taking so long to get this 4th and final part posted, I got a little busy the last couple days and couldn’t but its finally up! I want to say thank you to y'all for supporting my writing! This is one of my favorite thing I’ve written so far! 

Y'all can read Part 1 here Part 2 here and Part 3 here  

P.S. this last part is kind corny, like an ABC Family movie kinda corny lmao but I think it wraps up the story nicely. 

Also I was kinda thinking about writing a prologue to this whole thing like on what happened the night of the party. Like you guys get the just of what happened based on what I told you in the story but I could write out exactly what did if y'all are interested in that?? Lemme know! Thanks again for the love!

Words: 1,546

Warnings: just language as usual!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, listen up!” you heard Ashton shout as you and Calum slipped into the Theta Chi house. Both Alpha Phi and Theta Chi were packed into the main entryway, making it a tight squeeze.

“We have some official business to discuss.” Ashton said to the crowd.

“Then why are they here?” Luke called out from the middle of the room.

“Because this business involves us too.” Tatum replied as she stepped out of the crowd to stand next to Ashton. You and Calum looked at each other with worried glances. You hoped this wasn’t about the two of you.

“Two of our own have gone rogue.” Ashton said as he pointed to you and Calum directly, moving his finger in a come here motion. You both pushed your way to the front of the crowd and noticed the dirty looks people were giving you. This was definitely about last night.

“A bit dramatic don’t you think Ash.” Calum muttered to Ashton, who just ignored him.

“We all know you two possibly slept together last night.” Ashton explained to you as the crowd of Theta’s booed. You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“Tatum, are you really okay with this metaphoric public beheading here?” you pleaded with your best friend.

“I am.” Tatum said confidently.

“When Ashton messaged me on Facebook asking me if I knew anything about this it made me realize that this thing you two have going on is wrong. Our two presidents shouldn’t be running around with each other behind everyones backs.” the crowd cheered in agreement.

“Will you guys knock it off. What is this? An episode of Maury?” Calum called out to his peers.

“But I am still your best friend and I still love you.” Tatum said to you privately.

“I just hate the Theta’s a little more than I love you.” Tatum said honestly. You couldn’t blame her though. Before today, you were the same exact way.

“Also I’m making spaghetti for dinner if thats okay with you. I also wanted to do garlic bread but I didn’t know if that would be too much since it’s-”

“Tatum, not now.” you sighed.

“Sorry.” she whispered as she gestured for Ashton to continue on.

“Our two respective presidents have-”

“Okay but listen,” Calum interrupted.

“We didn’t actually sleep together. So mystery is solved, problem is now resolved, lets all get back to our normally scheduled activities.” Calum finished as he waved people away. No one moved.

“Not that simple buddy.” Ashton retorted as he clapped a hand on Calum’s shoulder.

“Maybe you guys didn’t do the dirty, but fact of the matter is, you two were hanging out all last night and all today.” Ashton reminded you.

“But is it really that bad if we hang out together?” You asked Ashton, an audible gasp coming from the crowd of greek members.

“You of all people should know how big of a deal this rivalry is Y/N.” Vanessa called.

“Yeah, if I would’ve known that Calum was your booty call I never would’ve supported it.” Mallory chimed in, the rest of your sorority sisters nodding in agreement.

“Booty call?” Calum asked in confusion. You waved him off.

“What’s so bad about hanging out with an Alpha for a little while? Huh boys?” Calum asked his brothers.

“We’re rivals.” Michael called out.

“We may be in a frat but that doesn’t mean we fraternize with the enemy Calum.” he finished. Looks of confusion were written across multiple peoples faces.

“Michael, that literally doesn’t even make sense.” Calum remarked, earning a few chuckles from his friends.

“It’s just a dumb rivalry.” you thought out loud, the entire room becoming eerily quiet.

“Just a dumb rivalry?” Tatum asks you.

“Says the girl who used to do anything to threaten the Theta’s way of life. This coming from the girl who snuck around the back of the Theta house and shut off their power so everyone would have to come to our party instead.”

“That was you?” Calum asked surprised.

“Well yeah, but-”

“The girl who once walked a mile in heels just because she wanted to get to the store first to buy the last keg just so the Theta’s couldn’t have it. The girl who-”

“Okay Tatum thats enough.” you said sternly.

“That was the old me.” you began.

“Look at us right now. You all say we’re all so different and we’re all such bitter enemies, but you all literally came together as one to rip apart Calum and I. Sure, it wasn’t for the greatest cause but you guys did it.” a few people nodded.

“And Michael,” Calum said as he stepped forward.

“I vividly remember you and Vanessa partnering on a bio project last semester. She would come round the house all the time and you got along perfectly well, you really hit it off.”

“But that was for school stuff not greek stuff.” Michael scoffed.

“Should it really matter?” Calum questioned.

“And Tatum,” you said as you turned around to face your best friend.

“You and Luke are both on the cheerleading team. I remember at a competition last year you flew with him as your one and only base. That takes a lot of trust and understanding to do that. Not something two ‘rivals’ could do.” you pointed out.

“She is right.” Tatum agreed.

“And I did actually have a great time stunting with you Luke.” she called out to him, Luke nodding in agreement.

“See? When we come together and see each other as people instead of enemies we can accomplish great things.” Calum stated.

“I know it’s tradition, but lets put this dumb rivalry behind us and and make new traditions together.” you said to your sorority sisters, all of them nodding in agreement.

“What do you say boys?” Calum asked his brothers as he slung an arm around your shoulder, grinning down at you. It took a few minutes, but all of Theta Chi finally agreed to end the rivalry as well, Ashton being the last to give in.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Alpha Phi and Theta Chi didn’t hate each other.” you said to Calum as the other members began to file out of the frat house, some of them already starting to mingle.

“It’s a pretty remarkable thing we did today.” Calum marveled.

“I say we throw an even more remarkable party to honor this remarkable day.” you smirked.

THAT WEEKEND

“I have to say, you did a great job putting together this party!” Calum shouted to you above the music. You were both currently swaying with each other on the makeshift dance floor in the Alpha Phi house.

“I know I did!” you said triumphantly, Calum grinning so wide his eyes were starting to crinkle in the corners.

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Both Alpha’s and Theta’s were interacting with each other and dancing with each other like the rivalry never existed in the first place. It took a little bit for everyone to get used to not having to hate one another, but they really started to get along well when given the opportunity to. Michael and Vanessa were grinding with each other on the dance floor, while Luke and Tatum were in the kitchen excitedly talking about what they were going to do at cheer practice the following week. Ashton had even embraced the newfound treaty between the houses and was making out with Mallory, who he’s always found to be attractive, in the corner of the room.

“Can we go somewhere quieter to talk?” Calum shouted. You nodded yes and led him outside to the front lawn where you both took a seat on the street curb.

“I’m glad we don’t have to hate each other anymore.” Calum laughed.

“Me too.” you said as Calum carefully grabbed your hand in his and laced your fingers together.

“I don’t think I ever really hated you that much, I just thought I had to.” you explained.

“I actually really liked you when we first met our freshman year.” you confessed.

“I really liked you too. Still do.” Calum added, making you smile. You looked up at him and noticed how cute he looked when his hair was a mess and saw how his brown eyes glistened in the moonlight and just got the overwhelming urge to kiss him.

“At least now we can do this without getting ripped to shreds by our friends.” Calum whispered as he leaned in closer, alternating between looking into your eyes and looking at your lips. It felt like years before his lips were finally on yours, igniting fireworks in your head and taking your breath away. You never knew a kiss with someone could be so good, and damn was it good. Calum pulled away when you both heard cheers coming from the front door. You looked back and saw all of your friends standing there cheering you on. You and Calum both laughed, being insanely happy in that moment.

“How about we go back in there and have another night that we won’t remember in the morning?” Calum asked you as he stood up, pulling you right with him since your hands were still connected.

“I would love nothing more than that.”

[pixiewriting]

college!au minghao (pt 1)

summary: you're in your first year of university, and you find a best friend in joshua hong. He introduces you to his friends, and a interesting relationship ensues when you embarrass yourself in front of his friend minghao.

genre: fluff

pairing: minghao/the8 x reader

warnings: has some language sometimes, though I'm assumin f*ck and sh*t don’t bother you guys lol

word count: 3.9k

a/n: hey y'all! here’s my first little story I’m posting on here. the first chapter is kind of long, sorry lol. i’m not sure how long it’ll end up being, but it’s more of a ‘figure it out as you go’ kinda thing lol. i have it posted on archive of our own too!

(part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

           You scurried through the courtyard, a little out of breath, as you were late for class. You were hopping over bushes, and dodging tree branches. You’re almost to class when you feel a branch catch your sweater, and pulls you back abruptly. You keep pulling away, and the branch tears your sweater and cuts your skin a little. You let out a little ‘ouch,’ and pull the branch out of your sweater. You’re hoping subconsciously that nobody saw that little fiasco, and as you look around, you see one tall boy covering his mouth, laughing. You felt mortified that one of your peers had seen you sprinting through the courtyard and cutting your arm on a tree branch. You tossed your hair behind your ears and kept running, class still on your mind.

          After making it to class with only minutes to spare, you sat around the rest of class trying to catch your breath and pay attention. The teacher was talking about chemical bonds, and normally this would be interesting to you, but for some reason you just couldn’t focus. You sat back against the chair, and blew out a puff of air, and tapped your pencil methodically on your paper for a minute. An image flashed into your mind of that tall boy laughing at you, and you almost smacked your head to get the picture out of your mind. It wasn’t something you wanted to recall! So what if he saw me? You thought, beginning to pep yourself up from your embarrassment. Fuck other people’s opinions! you nodded to yourself. Besides, he probably guessed you were late to class anyway. It’s not that big of a deal! you reassured yourself. You made this weird face that was kinda like ‘hell yeah I love being my biggest supporter.’

           At this moment, the teachers voice broke through your self absorbed haze, announcing class was up, and to not forget about the paper due next week. You were already about half way done with that paper, and you made a mental note to finish it up early next week, with time to spare before it was due. You walked out of class slowly, tired from the sprinting you did earlier. You might as well have not gone to that class anyway, seeing how you couldn’t focus the whole time and missed the lecture. You waved your hand around your face, knowing it was fine because you were a good student and there were resources online. You pass by the courtyard, and you find the culprit tree that caught you, and give it a dirty look. You notice a bit of your sweater and a tiny blood stain on the branch. “God.” you mumbled.

           You were in your first year of college, and on the path to studying international business, though you knew that your interest could probably change next week. You were more introverted, so you didn’t mind being alone, although you did have a few friends. One friend you had made recently, Joshua, in your bio class, was very nice. He helped you with his notes if you missed something, and was a nice person to have around. He was one of those people that you could sit around and not have to say anything to enjoy each other’s presence, which was something made the good-friend-siren in your head go off. You were about to meet him in the courtyard, nearby that goddamn fucking tree. You waited at a picnic table, head resting on the wood, sun warming your back, eyes comfortably shut, and ready to snooze.

           You hear Joshua coming before you can completely fade away, and sit up, chin resting up in your hand. “Hey, Josh,” you said, as he was sitting down. “What’s up?”

           He smiled, and set his bag on the picnic table. “My lit class was incredibly boring.” He said. You groaned in sympathy. “Dude, fuck Shakespeare,” you said nonchalantly. “The guy just kills lovers and writes in this old english no one can understand, so you have to completely rely on the Spark Notes translation.”

           Joshua laughed. “He’s considered one of the greatest english writers of all time.”

          “That doesn’t mean we have to continue considering that.” you countered.

            The two of you kept talking for a while about some bullshit stuff, and then Joshua looked over and yelled some hellos at someone. You looked over, and saw the boy that had been laughing at you earlier. He was waving to Joshua from across the courtyard. Your cheeks flushed bright red, and you slapped your hands against your cheeks. “Shit!” you cursed. Joshua looked over in confusion, and you watched as the boy was making his way to the two of you. “I gotta go! I embarrassed myself in front of that guy and I’m not about to make this weird!” You grabbed your book bag in a hurry, and scrambled off, tripping over your shoe as you do so. You landed on your stomach, and just closed your eyes as you laid in the grass and accepted your fate for death. Being clumsy is a personal hell. You groaned, and rolled over. Sunshine was streaming over your face, and you squinted against the sun. Remembering the boy, you jolted up, and jogged across the courtyard, not daring to look back, because you knew Joshua and the boy had seen you fall. You’d heard Joshua laugh. God.

             Back in your dorm, you hopped on the bed and kicked your legs around, and rolled over a bit in frustration. I’m such a dumbass!!!!!!! was the ringing phrase running through your head for a good five minutes. You decided to text Joshua, and you typed “fml.” That simple phrase was all you needed to convey your absolute embarrassment to Joshua. He replied with a long “lmaoooooo” and you groaned. You sent a frowny face back and Joshua told you that it was okay, and tried to make you feel better like the nice guy he is. You really hoped you’d never see that guy again. Joshua typed, “Minghao and I thought it was funny! You’re just a comedian don’t freak” and you could finally put a name to the boy who’d you completely ruined your image in front of. Minghao. Alright.

            You sent back something about never being so embarrassed in your life and hoping you’d never see Minghao again and you knew Joshua was probably just laughing back in his dorm. The fuck! You’d just have to forget about it and never think about it again. Might as well pour bleach over your brain to completely get rid of the memory. You jumped up and shook your body out a little, and decided a shower would clear your mind.

            Freshly cleansed and now a bit more level headed, you sat down to catch up on some homework, and then found yourself knocking out for the night.

            The next few days passed without incident, thankfully, and you and Joshua continued to meet in the courtyard and just do homework together, sometimes making a comment about how nice the weather was or a comment about being pissed off about class. It was ideal.

            This weekend there was a big party at this frat house, and Joshua suggested for you to go with him. You easily agreed. You weren’t about to turn down an opportunity to party, because after a few weeks of being introverted you look for a big social interaction for have fun at, and then withdraw for a few days again afterwards.

            You and Joshua were fast becoming close friends, and could predict each other’s sentences and reactions. You liked to call him Joshy sometimes to see how frazzled he would get and then this exasperation would wash over him.

            You two arrived at the party, expectant. You went into the party excited, ready to let loose after dedicating so much time to school recently. You and Josh didn’t stay together the whole time, you both separated off and found your other friends eventually. Your other friends liked to tease you about Joshua and that you liked him, and you would just sigh. Joshua? A boyfriend? No. That’s not what you wanted, and not what he wanted either. You two were just friends, and could relate to one another easily. You eventually were a little tipsy, and having fun dancing with your friends. Joshua came by and laughed at your tipsy state for a while, and then told you he had to go because he forgot about a paper. You gave him a thumbs up, and wished him luck on the paper.

         Once he left, was when things went… different.

          You, in your tipsy state, were just a social butterfly and wanted to tell everyone how happy you were. Embarrassing. You didn’t notice him across the room, laughing at you again. You excused yourself to the kitchen, to get some water and rewind. You were kind of dizzy from all that dancing and singing. Someone entered in the kitchen behind you, but you were focused on drinking this water to get the small amount of alcohol out of your system. A voice behind you caused you to jolt and drop the red solo cup of water into the sink. “Nice dance moves; they look a bit similar to the way you run frantically.” A feeling in your gut told you who that was.

          You closed your eyes, and immediately started screaming internally. Just when you thought that everything was fine! You reluctantly turned around, and found the tall boy just a few feet away. You cursed under your breath, a habit you couldn’t break. “Uhhhh…” you said, floundering. “Hi.”

           He laughed, this time not covering his mouth with his hand. “Hi.” He said back. Why couldn’t he just have ignored you and not ever brought up the incidents again! Why must he torture you!

          You were going to make a move to slip away, anything to escape this dreaded situation, but you felt the dizziness hit you again. You did feel dehydrated, as you didn’t get to drink much of that water, or anything that whole night, before you spilled it in the sink. You stumbled, and held on to the counter, almost forgetting the boy beside you for a minute. Minghao, you remembered his name, reached out to steady you. You gritted your teeth. Were you about to embarrass yourself in front of him again? Probably.

         “Sorry,” you stuttered. “I’m just kinda dizzy.”

          He looked worried. “Come on, let’s go find somewhere quiet.”

          He led you around the house, and your cheeks were flushed in anguish. Eventually, you two had to settle for outside, because the house was full of drunk dancing people. He wasn’t drunk though, which you found a bit odd, because it is a frat party. Isn’t that what people do at frat parties?

          He sat you down on this brick stone wall, and he sat down next to you. Your heart was hammering in your chest with him this close to you. Your embarrassing antics kept flashing through your mind, as well as the way he had laughed at you. The warm late summer air was a bit chilled at night, and it felt nice on your skin. You sighed. “I’m sorry for being a weirdo.” you mumbled. You couldn’t dare look at him.

         “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” His voice was soothing, and made you feel weirdly better. “Why were you so weird around me anyway?” he asked. You looked over at him, curious. “You don’t know that already?” you asked. He shook his head. He had this slightly confused look on his face, his brows pulled in, eyes darting around your face, studying your expression.

        You kind of made this exasperated laugh, like the one Joshua made when you called him Joshy. “ I made a fool out of myself in front of you and I was just assuming you would make fun of me if we confronted one another. I just choose to avoid situations like that. ”

             Minghao chuckled a little. “I might’ve teased you, you’re right about that.” You rolled your eyes. Here it comes. The beginning of never ending teasing. “But, you have to admit. It was funny.”

“From an outsider’s view, yeah, it was.”

“You should learn to laugh at yourself.” He said bluntly. You were a little taken back, but you mused on this, and nodded.

            “You’re probably right. I just overanalyze everything I do and it makes me feel like everyone is laughing at the stupid shit I do.”

“They are.” He said truthfully. “You’re known as the funny freshman girl on campus.”

You looked at him in shock. “What? I never knew that.”

“People aren’t making fun of you like you think. They’re laughing at you.”

“That doesn’t sound much better.” you raised an eyebrow.

He rubbed his forehead, trying to find the right words. “What I’m trying to say, is…” he furrowed his eyebrows.

You laughed, and shook your head. “I understand, don’t worry. I just need to learn to not take things so seriously sometimes.” You were doing stupid shit and it was funny, but people didn’t think you were a fool because of it. You were just funny. He nodded, grateful you understood.

        You rested your hands on the brick wall, and leaned back to stare up at the sky. “So, are you friends with Joshua?” you asked, trying to divert the conversation away from your catastrophes. 

        He nodded. “He’s in this friend group of ours. It’s us thirteen guys. We’re all pretty close.”

        “Oh really?” you mused. “I don’t really think Joshua has mentioned you guys…” you trailed off, thinking. “Or wait. He talks about this guy Coups sometimes, is he in your friend group?”

       “Yeah! He’s the oldest out of all of us.” Minghao asserted. “I’d be surprised if Joshua didn’t talk about us to you. He talks about you a lot.”

        You almost choked, and looked over at Minghao. “What?”

        Minghao looked unconcerned. “Yeah, he always shows us the funny things that you text him, and sometimes talks about the times that you get all embarrassed about.”

        You were seething. Your eyebrows furrowed, thinking about how you were going to skin Joshua. “I can’t believe this!” you exclaimed. “Joshua…” you shook your head.

        Minghao laughed. “I think you’re getting too worked up about this. From what we’ve heard, we all think you’re pretty funny.” Your heart warmed slightly.

       “Well I hope my foolishness is funny sometimes.” You scoffed, in a jokingly way. You remembered that you were dehydrated, when a wave of dizziness fell over you. “Woah.” You said, holding your head. Talking to Minghao made you forget how dehydrated you felt.

        “Are you okay?” Minghao asked.

        “Uh, yeah. I think I just really need some water. I feel dehydrated.”

         Minghao shot up. “Stay here, I’ll be back.”

         While he was gone briefly, you thought about how this boy didn’t seem to mind your antics, and almost found it endearing. Just an hour ago you never wanted to see him, ever, and now you were talking to him and it was… nice. What the fuck!

         You reached up to pull your hair behind your ears, and rubbed your forehead. You were thinking about Minghao, and how now that you were seeing him up close, his features were cute. He had high cheekbones and a boyish smile. You pff’t at the thought of him being cute.

        He returned with a big glass of water. You couldn’t help yourself from smiling like an idiot. He kind of looked like an angel, with his lightly bronzed skin, holding your saving grace, water, in his hand, and the outdoor light behind him shining around his head like a halo. You let out this little wheeze of a chuckle, but you didn’t really care because you wanted that water.

        You could feel his amused eyes on you while you chugged that water. When you were done, you let out a little burp, and laughed. Minghao laughed along with you. “Sorry,” you said. He shook his head. “Don’t apologize.”

        “Sorry I acted like a fool in front of you and then avoided you so you couldn’t make fun of me haha,” you laughed emotionlessly.

        “Really don’t worry about it. It’s okay.”

        “Sorry if I ruined your fun time at this party.”

        “It’s okay!”

         You kept apologizing for stupid things, until eventually, he just put his finger over your lips, effectively cutting off your speech. “___ please, it’s alright. Stop apologizing. I liked getting to talk to you.” Your heart was hamming in your ribs.

         You nodded, and he took his finger away. “You should come hang out with all the boys sometime, so the other guys can put a face to a name.”

          You shuddered. “We’ll see.”

          He looked hopeful that you would come, or maybe you were deluding yourself. Thirteen boys kind of sounded like a nightmare. You weren’t sure what Joshua might do. What if he brought up something embarrassing you did in front of all those boys? You’re being overly dramatic and kinda paranoid. The voice in your head told you. Knock that shit off!

         “Do you not like alcohol?” you asked rather brashly. You hit yourself mentally for asking that so suddenly.

           He looked a little surprised, his eyebrows flying up. He recovered, and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes and back, and then you watched it slowly fall back down. “I do, sometimes. But, it’s pretty funny to watch drunk people while you’re sober.”

           “I see.”  You mused. “What year are you?”

           “I’m a freshman. The older boys in our group are sophomores.” You nodded.

           “Do you know what you’re studying?” you asked, rolling the solo cup around in your hands.

           “I’m looking at marine biology. What about you?” A marine biologist. It suited him.

           “International business.” He whistled. “That sounds like it could be hard. Having to learn how to approach a certain country.”

           You shrugged. “I’m willing to work hard to study something I love.”

           “Wow, poetic.” He joked. You looked over, and pushed his arm. “Shut up.”

           It was so easy to talk to Minghao. This was your first conversation with him, all based on you running into a tree in front of him. He wasn’t going to make it awkward by making fun of you, but he also knew how to tease you without making you feel like an idiot, and instead laugh at yourself. 

           You two sat in silence for a while and just looked up at the sky, and again, that good-friend-siren was going off in your head. Anyone who tolerated your antics and sat and stared at the night sky with you in silence sounded like a good friend. Your thoughts shifted to the way he had pushed his hair back earlier, and you shuddered.

           You sighed. “I should probably leave soon. This party has drained me physically and emotionally.”

           “Do you have a ride back or a friend to go with?” he asked.

           You thought. “Shit. Now that I think about it, Joshua was who I was going to go back with, and he left. My friends live in different dorms across the campus.” You groaned. “I really don’t want to die tonight walking back to the dorm, but it seems that might be what happens. I had it coming.” You joked, getting up and stretching.

           He hopped up immediately. “No way am I letting you walk home alone this late at night!”

           You were a little shocked. He looked so… determined to walk you home.  He had looked cute and innocent thus far, but he seemed to secretly be a bit fierce and strong. His arms were crossed, his rolled up long sleeve tee shirt stretching across his shoulders. You gulped. “Are you sure? Are you okay with leaving the party?”

           He waved his hand. “I wasn’t going to stay much longer anyway. You were the funniest person here, anyway. Once you leave no one will be as funny to watch or listen to.” You blushed crimson, and cleared your throat.

           “Okay, well, shall we go then?” you asked, scratching the back of your head, trying to ignore your red cheeks. Minghao was so forward and blunt.

           He nodded, and the two of you walked through the house, you saying bye to your friends if you saw them nearby. They raised their eyebrows at Minghao, but you really didn’t feel like explaining. After all, you weren’t really sure what to explain. You’d made a fool out of yourself a few times in front of him and shied away, and you guys talked tonight and he got you water? There wasn’t much to explain. Your heart fell slightly. You kind of wanted to keep talking to him, because he was a good listener, but he didn’t have much reason to come see you again. Unless you hung out with all thirteen boys. You shuddered at the thought.

           The two of you walked along the frat house street, the large trees reaching over your heads. He was humming under his breath. His voice was soft and melodic. “You have a nice voice.” You said shyly, and quietly. He flashed you a smile in thanks.

           The two of you didn’t talk much, just walked in silence side by side enjoying the college campus late at night. It was nice. You didn’t feel like you needed to say anything. Minghao was very easy to be around. He was easygoing.

           You stopped in front of your dorm, and looked up at him. You finally noticed that he towered over you in probably five inches or so. “Well,” you sighed. “I live here.”

           He was looking at you like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. “Thanks for walking me home,” You finally said. “I really appreciate it. I might’ve gotten jumped and died if you hadn’t tagged along.” You were joking, but you also knew that was a very real possibility of happening, and that depressed the hell out of you.

           He nodded. “It’s no problem, really. Let me know if you need someone to walk with from a party again, I’ll gladly do it.” You smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Minghao.” You said, voice light and airy.

           You turned to walk away, but you stopped and said, “I hope I’ll see you again sometime.” Your cheeks tinged pink.

           “Me too,” he smiled. “If I see you I’ll come say hi.”

           You pulled your hair around your ear, smiled slightly, and turned to walk up the sidewalk to the door.

           Once you had gotten to your room, you quietly walked around the room and got to bed, trying not to disturb your sleeping roommate. Once you were in bed, you stared at the ceiling and reached up to hold your cheeks. Tonight’s events kept flashing through your head, and the way Minghao smiled was one you distinctly remembered. Shy, but as the night went on he smiled bigger and bigger. You sighed in the darkness, and turned around to fall asleep, hoping for a good night’s rest.